Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0041-0004
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2005-02-01T05:00Z

Situation
Assessment
Report
Detection
and
Quantitation
Approaches
and
Uses
in
Clean
Water
Act
(
CWA)
Programs
By
Triangle
Associates,
Inc.

January
26,
2005
January
26,
2005
2
Situation
Assessment
Process
and
Results

Situation
Assessment
Process:
Interviews
By
Interest

Themes
From
Interviews

Scope
Of
Issues
and
Product

Organizing
the
Seats
At
the
Table

Consultative
Process
Framework
and
Schedule

Conditions
Of
Success
January
26,
2005
3
Situation
Assessment
Process:

Interviews
By
Interest

Environmental
Community

Regulatory
Community

Lab
Community

Regulated
Community
(
Industry
and
WWTPs)


Organizations

Federal
Agencies
January
26,
2005
4
Interviewees
Metropolitan
Sewer
District
(
Kentucky)

Severn
Trent
Laboratories
Environmental
Chemistry,
Inc.

Lab
Community
Michigan
Department
of
Environmental
Quality
California
State
Water
Resources
Board
Colorado
Department
of
Public
Health
and
Environment
Regulatory
Community
National
Wildlife
Federation
Chesapeake
Bay
Foundation
Tennessee
Public
Employees
for
Environmental
Responsibility
Environmental
Law
and
Policy
Center
Clean
Ocean
Action
Environmental
Community
ENTITIES
ENTITIES
INTEREST
INTEREST
January
26,
2005
5
Interviewees
Association
of
Metropolitan
Sewage
Agencies
East
Bay
Municipal
Utility
District
Hampton
Roads
Sanitation
District
Wastewater
Treatment
Plants
Environmental
Protection
Agency
US
Geological
Survey
US
Department
of
Energy
(
consultant)

Federal
Agencies
American
Society
for
Testing
and
Materials
Organizations
Utility
Water
Act
Group
American
Forest
&
Paper
Association
Ford
Motor
Company
and
Alliance
of
Auto
Manufacturers
American
Chemistry
Council
American
Petroleum
Institute
Industry
ENTITIES
ENTITIES
INTEREST
INTEREST
January
26,
2005
6
Interview
Questions

The
Issues:

Their
history
with
the
issues

Key
technical
and
policy
questions

Technical
issues
over
which
there
has
been
disagreement
and
how
they
affect
policy

A
potential
consultative
process:

EPA
role

Goals,
purpose
and
product

Definition
of
success

Participants

Information
needs
and
process
design
January
26,
2005
7
Key
Themes
From
the
Interviews

Key
Issues
With
Current
Detection
and
Quantitation
Approaches
In
the
CWA

Importance
Of
the
Issues

Goals
and
Purpose
Of
a
Process

Scope
and
Product

Parties

Definition
Of
Success

Desirability
Of
a
Consultative
Process
January
26,
2005
8
Scope
Reach
agreement
on:

Definition
of
terms

One
or
more
specific
approaches
for
detection
and
quantitation
for
CWA

Interpretation
and
uses
of
the
numbers
January
26,
2005
9
Product

Revised
detection
and
quantitation
approaches
that
are

scientifically
defensible

acceptable
to
most
or
all

easy
to
carry
out

practical
and

cost­
effective

Produce
accurate,
consistent
and
uniform
results

Can
be
used
in
future
rulemaking
to
replace
current
rule
at
40
CFR
Part
136
Appendix
B
January
26,
2005
10
Recommended
Consultative
Process

Federal
Advisory
Committee
(
FACA)

Consensus­
based
Approach
January
26,
2005
11
Participants
At
the
Table
National
Wildlife
Fund;

Invited
technical
consultants
and
attorneys
Knowledgeable
about
water
quality
testing
from
a
policy
perspective;

Knowledgeable
about
technical
issues
associated
with
detection
and
quantitation
Environmentalists
ACIL:
Large
private
Small
private
Conduct
water
quality
analysis
for
reporting
and
compliance
Environmental
Laboratories
AMSA;
WEF
Treat
wastewater;

Reflect
interests
of
large
and
small
facilities
Wastewater
Treatment
Plants
Inter­
Industry
Analytical
Group;

Discharge
to
water
bodies;

Discharge
to
WWTP;

Reflect
a
range
of
sizes;

Reflect
different
effluents
Industry
ASIWPCA;
Invited
states
Set
water
quality
standards
and
permit
limits;

Test,
monitor
and
enforce
compliance;

Certify
laboratories;

Experience
working
to
resolve
these
issues
and
geographical
diversity
State
Governments
POSSIBLE
POSSIBLE
GROUPS
GROUPS
ROLES
AND
ROLES
AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
RESPONSIBILITIES
STAKEHOLDERS
STAKEHOLDERS
January
26,
2005
12
Consultative
Process
Framework
Terms
Definition
Problem
Statement
Evaluation
Criteria
Evaluate
Approaches
By
Criteria
Conduct
Pilots
Full
Range
of
Approaches
Review
and
Initial
Screen
Of
Alternative
Approaches
Review
Results
and
Select
Methods
To
Pilot
Test
Review,
Adapt
and
Finalize
January
26,
2005
13
Plenary
Meetings

Facilitated

Policy
Focus

Assignments
To
Technical
Work
Groups

Review
and
Direction
On
Technical
Work
Group
Products

Consensus
Agreements
January
26,
2005
14
Technical
Work
Group
Meetings

Facilitated
Telephone
Conference
Calls
(
Technical
Facilitator)


Balance
Of
Interests

Technical
Products
Developed
Between
Plenary
Meetings
January
26,
2005
15
Committee
Meeting
Schedule
TECHNICAL
TECHNICAL
WORKGROUP(
S)
WORKGROUP(
S)
MONTHS
MONTHS
  

   

   

   

   

   

   

PLENARY
PLENARY
SESSIONS
SESSIONS
 
 
 
 
 
 
12
12
11
11
10
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Evaluation
of
options
with
criteria
Pilots
Definition
of
terms
January
26,
2005
16
Conditions
of
Success

EPA
is
formally
and
officially
organized
and
the
highest
levels
of
the
agency
commit
to
use
consensus
results
of
the
process.

EPA
has
a
structured
internal
team
that
spans
the
participating
units
and
advises
the
negotiating
team
who
can
speak
on
behalf
of
EPA.

A
balance
of
the
interests
are
at
the
table.

EPA
provides
travel
and
per
diems
to
entities
that
cannot
otherwise
participate.

Independent
technical
expertise
is
available
to
the
Committee
to
create
a
level
playing
field.

The
scope
of
the
discussion
and
the
resulting
product
can
be
accomplished
in
a
year
or
so.