1981 Original signed by J. O'Riordan Assistant Deputy Minister Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks January 24, 1992. This report is one in a series which establishes ambient water quality criteria for British Columbia. The criteria are safe conditions or levels of a variable which have province-wide application and are set to protect various water uses. Additionally, it was noted that water was a minor source of PCB body burden for humans and animals and there was more likelihood of adverse effects from PCBs in the environment due to consumption of contaminated foods. The criteria are summarized in Table 1. at the back of this report.
Aquatic life is the most sensitive water use with respect to polychlorinated biphenyls.
A major use of the criteria is to set ambient water quality objectives. The objectives are the criteria modified or adopted to protect the most sensitive designated water use in a particular body of water. The objectives are used in the preparation of waste management Permits, Orders, or Approvals, which are the only documents to have legal standing. The process for establishing water quality objectives is more fully outlined in Principles for Preparing Water Quality Objectives in British Columbia , copies of which are available from Water Quality Section of the Water Management Branch. Neither guidelines nor objectives which are derived from them, have any legal standing.