[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 5, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 41391-41392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-16756]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 136

[FRL-6729-3]


Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of 
Pollutants; Centralized Waste Treatment and Landfills Point Source 
Categories; Notice of Data Availability and Request for Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of data availability and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: On January 13, 1999, EPA proposed effluent limitations 
guidelines, pretreatment standards, and new source performance 
standards for the Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) Point Source 
Category to limit effluent discharges to waters of the United States 
and the introduction of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works. 
The comment period for the proposal closed on March 15, 1999.
    In the CWT proposal, EPA noted plans for a validation study for 
several pollutants found during EPA's data gathering, using EPA Methods 
625 and 1625. Today, EPA invites comment on the validation data for the 
pollutants included in the CWT proposal. EPA plans to use these data to 
support the use of EPA Methods 625 and 1625, as amended, in the 
upcoming final CWT rule, and to establish performance criteria for the 
additional analytes. EPA is soliciting comment only on the new 
information and data being made available today.
    Today's document also provides notice that EPA will clarify the 
scope of recently-published amendments to EPA Methods 625 and 1625 for 
the Landfills Point Source Category.

DATES: Submit an original and three copies of your comments on or 
before August 4, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and 3 copies of your comments and 
enclosures (including references) to ``Centralized Waste Treatment--
Notice of Data Availability,'' W-98-21 Comment Clerk, Water Docket (MC-
4101), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Washington, DC 20460. Hand deliveries should be 
delivered to: EPA's Water Docket at 401 M St., SW., Room EB-57, 
Washington, DC.
    Commenters who want EPA to acknowledge receipt of their comments 
should enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. No facsimiles 
(faxes) will be accepted. Comments may also be submitted electronically 
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#432c346e272c20282637032633222e222a2f6d2633226d242c35"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c9a6bee4ada6aaa2acbd89acb9a8a4a8a0a5e7acb9a8e7aea6bf">[email protected]</span></a>. Electronic comments must be submitted as 
an ASCII, WP5.1, WP6.1 or WP8 file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Electronic comments must be 
identified by the docket number [W-98-21]. Comments and data will also 
be accepted on disks in WP5.1, WP6.1, WP8 or ASCII file format. 
Electronic comments on this notice may be filed online at many Federal 
Depository Libraries.
    The record for this rulemaking has been established under docket 
number [W-98-21], and includes supporting documentation as well as 
printed, paper versions of electronic comments. The record is available 
for inspection from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays, at EPA's Water Docket, 401 M St., Room EB-57, 
SW., Washington, DC. For access to docket materials, please call 202/
260-3027 to schedule an appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Maria Gomez-Taylor, Engineering 
and Analysis Division (MC-4303), USEPA Office of Science and 
Technology, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Ariel Rios Building, N.W. 
Washington, D.C., 20460, or call (202) 260-1639.

[[Page 41392]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 13, 1999, EPA proposed effluent 
limitations guidelines, pretreatment standards, and new source 
performance standards for the Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) Point 
Source Category (64 FR 2280). The comment period for the proposal 
closed on March 15, 1999. These comments may be reviewed in the Water 
Docket at EPA Headquarters (see address above).
    In the January 1999 Federal Register notice, EPA discussed the use 
of modified versions of EPA Methods 625 and 1625 for the determination 
of all CWT semivolatile organic pollutants, including some analytes not 
currently listed in these methods, which are published at 40 CFR part 
136, Appendix A. The proposed modifications to EPA Methods 625 and 1625 
were included in the EPA Water Docket at proposal. The modified 
versions of these methods would allow the analysis of all CWT 
semivolatile organic pollutants in the proposed rule. In the preamble 
to the CWT proposal, the Agency noted its plans to conduct further 
validation of these method modifications and also noted plans to 
promulgate these method modifications in the final rulemaking for CWT.
    Following proposal, EPA conducted a validation study to demonstrate 
the performance of the methods and to use the data gathered during the 
study to develop quality control (QC) acceptance criteria for the 
target pollutants. The resulting modifications to EPA Methods 625 and 
1625 consist of text, performance data, and quality control (QC) 
acceptance criteria for the additional target analytes. The eleven CWT 
target analytes are acetophenone, aniline, benzoic acid, 2,3-
dichloroaniline, o-cresol, p-cresol, pyridine, alpha-terpineol, 
carbazole, n-decane, and n-octadecane. This information would allow a 
laboratory to practice the methods with the additional analytes as an 
integral part. In addition to the CWT pollutants, the study included 
five pollutants for which EPA had proposed and then promulgated 
effluent limitations in the Landfills Point Source Category (see 63 FR 
6425, February 6, 1998 and 65 FR 3007, January 19, 2000, respectively). 
The five Landfill analytes (aniline, benzoic acid, o-cresol, p-cresol, 
and pyridine) are among the CWT target analytes. The data collected in 
support of both CWT and Landfills were published in a validation study 
report dated October 1999, and that report is available for review in 
EPA's Water Docket. EPA will review the public comments received on the 
study and may, based on those comments, amend the 40 CFR part 136 
revisions made in the Landfills rule to revise the list of analytes 
subject to Methods 625 and 1625.
    Today's notice solicits comments only on the new data which support 
the use of Methods 625 and 1625 for the pollutants in the CWT rule. 
Specifically, the Agency seeks comment on the data summarized in the 
study report and placed in EPA's Water Docket. The Agency in not 
reopening the comment period on the entire proposed rule. Therefore, 
comments on other aspects of the proposal will not be considered.
    The final rule for the Landfills Point Source Category (see 65 FR 
3008, January 19, 2000) promulgated amendments to EPA Methods 625 and 
1625 by modifying the methods for additional pollutants, including the 
five pollutants of concern for Landfills. These amendments are also 
available for review in EPA's Water Docket. Since publication of that 
rule, EPA has received inquiries about the scope and applicability of 
the amendments to Methods 625 and 1625 promulgated at 40 CFR part 136 
pertaining to the Landfills rule. Specifically, EPA received questions 
on whether these amendments apply to any other point source categories. 
Today's notice clarifies EPA's intent regarding the published 
amendments to these methods. The amendments are applicable only to the 
five regulated pollutants in the Landfills rule when found in the waste 
streams regulated under that rule. When EPA promulgates effluent 
limitations and standards for CWT, EPA plans to further amend the 
methods to specify that the revisions to Methods 625 and 1625 are only 
applicable to the five pollutants in the Landfills rule (listed above) 
and to the eleven pollutants promulgated in the final CWT rule and only 
for the waste streams regulated under those rules.
    EPA intends to use the revised Methods 625 and 1625 for monitoring 
the pollutants regulated in the CWT and Landfills rules only and not 
for general use. To clarify this intent, EPA plans to amend Methods 625 
and 1625 in the upcoming final CWT rule to limit the scope and 
applicability to these rules. These amendments will clarify the 
Agency's objective to expand the scope of Methods 625 and 1625 for 
complying with monitoring requirements for the additional pollutants 
regulated in the two effluent guidelines discussed herein (i.e., CWT 
and Landfills only).

    Dated: June 27, 2000.
J. Charles Fox,
Assistant Administrator for Water.
[FR Doc. 00-16756 Filed 7-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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