Notice of Intent To Develop Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Protection of Human Health-Arsenic, Methylmercury, and Carbofuran; Notice of Data Availability; Request for Data and Information

Résumé

Section 304(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and publish, and from time to time revise, ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) that accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge. Today, EPA is notifying the public of its intent to revise the current, recommended human health water quality criterion for arsenic, and to develop recommended criteria for methylmercury, and carbofuran. This notice does not establish a schedule for revision or development of the criteria; the criteria will be revised or developed on differing schedules. EPA expects to have a peer review draft of the methylmercury criterion on the Office of Water web page, http://www.epa.gov/ost/ standards/humanhealth/ in the fall of 2000. The arsenic criteria revisions will parallel the development of the Safe Drinking Water Standard for arsenic. Carbofuran criteria development is on a one-year schedule. The pertinent list of references on the adverse health effects of arsenic is available for viewing at the Office of Water's Docket (W-99- 16) for the proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, 65 FR 38888; June 22, 2000. The Agency will be using thes