[env-trinity] U.S. EPA Launches Investigation into Toxins and Stressors Impacting Fish in the Bay Delta

[Mark Dowdle - TCRCD]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Water News Release (Region 9): U.S. EPA Launches Investigation 
into Toxins and Stressors Impacting Fish in the Bay Delta
Date: 	Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:06:33 -0600 (CST)
From: 	U.S. EPA <usaepa at govdelivery.com>
To: 	mdowdle at tcrcd.net



*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:* February 10, 2011
Media Contacts:  See below

*U.S. EPA Launches Investigation into Toxins and Stressors Impacting 
Fish in the Bay Delta*

SAN FRANCISCO --The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will today take 
action on an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) seeking 
public input on the effectiveness of current water quality programs 
influencing the health of the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary.The ANPR 
identifies pivotal water quality issues affecting Bay Delta fisheries, 
describes regulatory measures currently underway, and initiates an 
information-gathering process on how the EPA and the State of California 
can achieve water quality and aquatic resource protection goals in one 
of the West Coast's most ecologically diverse and important aquatic 
habitats.

The Bay Delta is the hub of California's water distribution system, 
providing drinking water to 25 million people, sustaining irrigation for 
4 million acres of farmland, and supporting 750 different species of 
plants, fish, and wildlife, several of which are endangered or 
threatened.The water quality of the Bay Delta Estuary and many of its 
tributaries is impaired, the estuarine habitat is shrinking and many 
fish populations are at all-time lows.

"The Bay Delta is a major source of our tap water and the water used to 
grow our food," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for 
the Pacific Southwest. "EPA is committed to tackling the pollution 
degrading the Delta, which is threatened by contaminants from sewage, 
pesticides, and a host of other chemicals."

No single factor is responsible for the decline of the Bay Delta's 
health. The present condition of the estuary reflects the cumulative and 
interactive effects of multiple factors, including water pollution, 
invasive species, water diversion and habitat degradation.Impacts 
associated with these stressors include toxicity to fish, invertebrates 
and their food sources, developmental deformities, and reproductive 
problems.

This ANPR is part of a comprehensive set of commitments made by the 
Obama Administration to address California water issues under the 
Interim Federal Action Plan released in December 2009.Through this plan, 
the Administration has promoted water conservation and efficiency 
improvements throughout California, dedicated more than $40 million to 
drought relief projects, and made historic investments in modernizing 
California's water infrastructure.

"Communities rely on their water resources to supply clean water, 
sustain their environment, and support vital economic activities," said 
Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental 
Quality."Identifying the water quality challenges in the Bay Delta is 
key to addressing the delta's complex and long-standing water problems 
and ensuring healthy communities and economies in California."

In its ANPR, EPA notes that it will be coordinating its review of water 
quality issues with the on-going development of the Bay Delta 
Conservation Plan, which currently is being developed through a 
collaboration of federal, state and local agencies, environmental 
organizations, and other interested parties.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior, David J. Hayes, who has been helping 
to lead the BDCP effort for the federal agencies, welcomed EPA's action, 
noting that "EPA's attention to a variety of water quality stressors and 
the role they play is an important complement to the science-based 
analysis that is going into the Bay Delta Conservation Plan effort."

He continued:"The Administration is committed to working together across 
our agencies to use the best science to meet the twin goals that 
California has adopted for the Bay Delta in its comprehensive new water 
legislation:a more reliable water supply and a restored and enhanced 
ecosystem -- including improved water quality."

In addition to protecting aquatic species' habitat, the federal Clean 
Water Act charges EPA with protecting water quality for a variety of 
uses that are not addressed in this ANPR, including water for drinking 
and agriculture.Water quality standards are established under the Clean 
Water Act to protect public health, welfare, and the protection and 
propagation of fish, shell fish, and wildlife.

The ANPR identifies specific issues for which the EPA has regulatory 
responsibility and solicits comment on topics, such as potential 
site-specific water quality standards and site-specific changes to 
pesticide regulation.Summaries describing environmental stressors and 
the regulatory framework necessary to address them are also included in 
the ANPR.

California's State and Regional Water Boards have the lead role under 
the federal Clean Water Act to protect water quality; they are actively 
engaged in multiple efforts, including establishing numeric water 
quality criteria and developing and implementing watershed improvement 
plans.The recovery of the Bay Delta reflects national efforts to ensure 
higher water quality, protect public health, and support essential fish, 
shell fish, and wildlife populations.The EPA, in collaboration with the 
State Water Resource Control Board and the Regional Water Quality 
Control Board, seeks to protect the biological, physical, and chemical 
integrity of the Bay Delta and its aquatic resources.Public input and 
scientific findings obtained from the ANPR will be reviewed and used to 
develop a strategic proposal for future EPA efforts toward protecting 
the Bay Delta and other important waterways.

The ANPR solicits public input on how EPA and the State of California 
can achieve water quality and aquatic resource protection goals in the 
Bay Delta Estuary and how to best use Clean Water Act programs to 
improve Delta water quality. No new rules are proposed in the ANPR and 
the ANPR has no regulatory effect.

The ANPR will be published to the Federal Register within one week.EPA 
encourages interested parties to read the ANPR and provide additional 
information and suggestions for actions to improve Bay Delta Estuary 
water quality and aquatic resource protection. Comments can be submitted 
electronically at the Federal Rulemaking Portal (www.regulations.gov) 
identified by docket EPA-R09-OW-210-0976 or in hardcopy addressed to 
Erin Foresman, US Environmental Protection Agency, 75 Hawthorne Street, 
San Francisco, CA 94105.

For more information, please 
visit:http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/watershed/sfbay-delta or 
http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/watershed/sfbay-delta/anpr.html

*MEDIA CONTACTS:*

Mary Simms, Press Officer, U.S. EPA, (415) 947-4270, simms.mary at epa.gov

Yoshiko Hill, Public Affairs Intern, U.S. EPA, (415) 947-4308, 
hill.yoshiko at epa.gov

###

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