Alaska Water Quality Standards

Alaska Information		National Information
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Water Quality Standards Website EPA Regulations pertaining directly to Alaska Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation 610 University Ave. Fairbanks, AK 99709-3643 Fax (907) 451-2188 Nancy Sonafrank, nancy_sonafrank@dec.state.ak.us, (907) 451-5170 EPA 1200 Sixth Ave Seattle, WA 98101 Fax (206) 553-0226 Lisa McGuire, mcguire.lisa@epa.gov (206) 553-1295		National Water Quality Standards Homepage Where You Live (Regional and State specific information) State, Tribal and Territorial Standards Basic Information About Water Quality Standards and Criteria Laws and Regulations Policy and Guidance Trainings, Meetings and Educational Materials Water Quality Standards Databases Recent Actions Request for Comments Monitoring and Assessment Endangered Species Act and Water Quality Standards Impaired Waters (303d List) and Clean Up Plans (TMDLs)

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) will be proposing revised regulations for mixing zones in July 2004 and water quality standards revisions for bacteria, residues and zones of deposit later this summer through its Water Quality Standards Triennial Review process. Their Water Quality Standards Triennial Review website at (http://www.state.ak.us/dec/water/wqsar/trireview/trireview.htm) includes updates on these proposals, the Triennial Review timeline and workplan.

On February 27, 2004, EPA partially approved Alaska Water Quality Standard (WQS) revisions. EPA took no action on the acute and chronic freshwater aquatic life criteria for selenium and mercury or on the removal of the fluoride and odor secondary drinking water standards. EPA needs to conduct additional work to complete its review. Therefore, the new aquatic life criteria for mercury and selenium will not be in effect for CWA purposes until a decision is made by EPA about whether they can be approved. In the interim, the previously approved aquatic life criteria for mercury (2.4 ug/l acute and 0.012 ug/l chronic, both as total recoverable) and selenium (20 ug/l acute and 5 ug/l chronic, both as total recoverable) will remain the applicable CWA standards and will be retained in the CWA WQS docket until EPA acts on this revision (65 FR 24643). The secondary drinking water standards for fluoride (2.0 mg/l) and odor (3 threshold odor number) will remain in effect for CWA purposes.
EPA's Partial Approval Letter (pdf, 4 pp, 22 Kb)
EPA's List of Approved Revisions (pdf, 1 pp, l Kb)