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About the Office of Science and Technology

Organizational Chart for the Office of Science and Technology (PDF, 8KB)

4 page color brochure about the Office of Science and Technology (OST) (PDF, 313KB)

The Office of Science and Technology (OST) is responsible for developing sound, scientifically defensible standards, criteria, advisories, guidelines, limitations and standards guidelines under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. OST is also responsible for developing risk assessment methodologies and for providing risk assessment support for the Office of Water in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These products articulate the goals and provide the regulatory framework for restoring and maintaining the biological, chemical, and physical integrity of the nation's water resources, for protecting the nation's public water supplies, and for achieving technology-based pollution control requirements in support of:

    • Point source (end of pipe) discharge programs
    • Nonpoint source programs
    • Wetlands programs
    • Drinking water programs
    • Dredge material management programs
    • Geographic-specific programs (e.g., Great Lakes, coastal areas, estuaries)

The Office of Science and Technology consists of three divisions:

  • Engineering and Analysis Division
  • Health and Ecological Criteria Division
  • Standards and Health Protection Division

Developing the Scientific Basis for a Regulatory Framework

    The Office of Science and Technology issues health advisories for use by the States in protecting drinking water supplies under the Safe Drinking Water Act and sponsors extensive research on the effects of pollutants on aquatic organisms, fish, and wildlife. This information is used by federal, State, and local governments to set limits on the kinds of pollutants that may be discharged by industries and that may be present in public drinking water supplies. Working closely with our stakeholders, including industries, trade associations, and environmental groups, we also help to incorporate techniques into manufacturing processes to prevent polluting chemicals from being created or used in many industries.

    While OST provides the scientific basis for many programs that protect human health and the environment, the information is communicated to the state and local governments through EPA's ten regional offices. The regional offices provide the tools and training needed to incorporate the technical requirements into state programs.

Producing Diverse Programs

    The three Divisions that make up OST are committed to protecting human health and the environment by carrying out research on the effects of pollutants that are discharged into our nation's surface waters. They focus on such diverse programs as technology-based controls and pollution prevention techniques for industrial dischargers, human health and environmental risks, risk assessments, and State water quality standards. The three Divisions and their contributions are as follows:

      Engineering and Analysis Division

      The Engineering and Analysis Division (EAD) develops national technology-based effluent limitations for industrial facilities discharging directly into the nation's waters and pretreatment standards for industries discharging into municipal treatment facilities.  Effluent guidelines are technology-based controls that provide a means for regulating pollutants through discharge permits. EAD also develops Analytical Methods for detecting pollutants in wastewater, sludge sediment, and other media and revises existing methods and developing wastewater treatment regulations.

      Health and Ecological Criteria Division

      The Health and Ecological Criteria Division (HECD) conducts extensive investigations on chemicals that may pose health risks to humans and aquatic ecosystems.   HECD also develops risk assessment methodologies and provides risk assessment support for the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), including setting maximum contaminant level goals (MCLGs) and issuing health advisories.   Specific criteria developed by HECD include:

      • Health goals for drinking water
      • Municipal sludge regulations
      • Criteria for human health surface water
      • Human health risk assessment for water
      • Criteria for aquatic life surface water
      • Ecological risk assessment for water
      • Sediment criteria
      • Health advisories for drinking water
      • Biological criteria
      • Unreasonable Risk to Health Guidance
      • Ecological criteria/habitat

      Standards and Health Protection Division

      The Standards and Health Protection Division's (SHPD) implements the national program for adopting water quality standards and develops and manages cross-media and multi-Agency policies to ensure exposure goals are attained.  This Division works closely with the EPA regional offices to help State governments incorporate water quality criteria into their water quality standards. SHPD also assesses potential risks to human health resulting from fish and sediment that have been contaminated by toxic pollutants.

Providing Risk Assessment Support

    In carrying out these important functions, OST develops methods for predicting the effects of specific environmental pollutants on human health and the environment. Using information from risk analyses, OST provides support to EPA and State water pollution control programs that address:

    • Point source discharges
    • Non-point source discharges
    • Wetlands protection
    • Drinking water protection, and
    • National resource protection

    The office also sponsors seminars for scientists in both the public and private sectors to help them understand the technical aspects of risk assessments and methodologies.

Providing National Scientific Support

    The diversified staff includes scientists, biologists, chemists, engineers, environmental specialists, economists, statisticians, and other skilled professionals. OST relies on research conducted either independently by other offices in EPA or jointly with other federal agencies, research and academic institutions, and environmental groups. This consortium has a common focus: to acquire information that will help us better understands the effect of pollutants on the aquatic environment and to develop ways to reduce the risk from harmful pollutants.

Document Distribution

    The Office of Science and Technology produces many different types of publications. While much effort is devoted to the development of regulations and related technical guidance for implementing the regulations, OST also produces an extensive series of analytical laboratory methods documents, conference proceedings, water quality models (with supporting documentation), environmental databases, fact sheets, videotapes, and environmental education products such as pamphlets and posters. All OST publications are listed on the Publications page that is updated yearly.

4 page color brochure about the Office of Science and Technology (OST) (PDF, 313KB)

Organizational Chart for the Office of Science and Technology (PDF, 8KB)

 

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