A critical review of the effluent discharge monitoring data for an electric power utility's (EPU) ash disposal site having five permitted outfalls revealed that recently applied water quality-based effluent limits would be exceeded for a few parameters. The only viable options available for the discharger to achieve compliance were the construction of a pipeline which would carry the combined wastewaters to a much larger receiving stream, or the development of site-specific criteria. Because the site met the conditions required for site-specific water quality development using EPA-developed procedures, namely no whole effluent toxicity and no observable impairment to the receiving streams due to the effluents' discharge, the EPU expressed interest in developing site-specific criteria. An initial meeting was held with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) to discuss the relevant chemical, ecological and toxicological data for the site and to agree upon an approach for achieving compliance. The WVDEP agreed that site-specific criteria development for the selected parameters were appropriate for the site. A study plan was prepared which included EPA-approved procedures for site-specific criteria development (e.g., the use of the water effect ratio procedure for development of site-specific aluminum criteria). The plan was submitted to WVDEP, the West Virginia Environmental Quality Board (WVEQB) and U.S. EPA Region 3. A series of conference calls between GLEC, WVEQB and Region 3 were held to finalize the study plan for determining site-specific criteria for aluminum, manganese and iron. The field and laboratory work for the development of site-specific criteria is scheduled for the spring and summer of 1996.
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