Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants; Procedures for Detection and Quantitation; Notice of Document Availability and Proposed Rule Withdrawal

Fact Sheet; November 2004

We are withdrawing our March 2003 proposal to revise detection and quantitation procedures used in Clean Water Act (CWA) programs. Our decision to withdraw the proposal is based on the divergent views on the proposed revisions and a desire to improve the procedures through a possible stakeholder dialogue. We are also releasing a revised assessment document on detection and quantitation procedures.

• What are we doing?
• What is detection and quantitation?
• Why are we withdrawing the proposed rule?
• What are we doing to continue the dialogue with stakeholders?
• Additional information and copies

What are we doing?

We are withdrawing our March 2003 proposal to revise detection and quantitation procedures used in Clean Water Act (CWA) programs. We are also releasing a revised assessment document entitled, Revised Assessment of Detection and Quantitation Approaches. This revised assessment incorporates public comment on the February 2003 draft assessment document. These actions complete the terms of a settlement agreement with industry petitioners.

What is detection and quantitation?

Detection indicates the presence of a pollutant in a sample. Quantitation indicates how much pollutant is in the sample. Detection and quantitation procedures apply to all chemical analytical methods under the Clean Water Act. The procedures are a way to calibrate, or pre-test, laboratory instruments to confirm that they accurately measure a specific chemical pollutant in a water sample. The procedures allow the lab to determine how well the instrument detects (the presence of a pollutant) and quantifies (the amount of that pollutant) a chemical in a water sample.

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Why are we withdrawing the proposed rule?

Our decision to withdraw the proposed rule is based on public comments on the proposed changes. Comments represented many divergent views and conflicting suggestions on the proposed revisions to detection and quantitation procedures. Commenters also included new procedures for us to consider. Rather than making changes to our existing procedures, we will get better results if we continue the dialogue with individual stakeholders to resolve the many complex technical and policy issues that were raised in public comment.

What are we doing to continue the dialogue with stakeholders?

In a Federal Register Notice published on September 15, 2004, we announced the beginning of the design of a process for dialogue. A neutral party is interviewing stakeholders to assess the feasibility of a process to bring a broad group of stakeholders together to define and address concerns about the way detection and quantitation values are calculated and used to support Clean Water Act programs. We will publish the results of this feasibility assessment on the detection and quantitation Web site.

Additional information and copies

You can get more information by contacting William Telliard at the U.S. EPA Office of Water, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20460; telliard.william@epa.gov

You can view and download the complete text of the Federal Register notices by visiting the detection and quantitation Web site. You can also get copies of the notice and other documents by calling the Water Resource Center at 202-566-1729.

The docket for this proposed rule withdrawal is available through edockets. Click on "Quick Search" in the left-hand navbar and enter ID# OW-2003-0002 into the search box.

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