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PA EPA ADDRESSES MERCURY POLLUTION IN ARIZONA WATERWAYS
Release Date: 04/25/97
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1997
EPA ADDRESSES MERCURY POLLUTION IN ARIZONA WATERWAYS
On April 21, EPA's San Francisco office agreed to take steps to reduce mercury pollution in 13 Arizona rivers and lakes. In a settlement agreement, EPA ensured that pollution reduction targets will be established within four and one-half years for 13 Arizona rivers and lakes impacted by mercury. The reduction targets are called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), the amount of a pollutant a waterway can absorb, plus a margin of safety and still meet water quality standards, depending on the designated use of the waterbody, such as for drinking water sources, recreational uses or industrial wastewater discharges. The TMDL process, under the Clean Water Act, provides a framework for assessing environmental problems in a watershed and identifying pollution reductions needed to protect the waterbodies' designated use(s). The Clean Water Act gives state governments primary responsibility for establishing TMDLs, although EPA can also develop them. The state of Arizona already has made commitments to establish TMDLs in several other watersheds and has the option of establishing TMDLs on some or all of the 13 waterbodies designated in the agreement. For additional information on the agreement, call Dave Schmidt in EPA's San Francisco office at 415-744-1578; additional information is also available on the internet at https://www.epa.gov/OWOW/tmdl/az_pr.html.
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