NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE RECYCLED WATER POLICY CONCERNING MONITORING REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSTITUENTS OF EMERGING CONCERN
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is holding a hearing to consider the adoption of a proposed amendment to the Recycled Water Policy. The proposed amendment would add monitoring requirements for constituents of emerging concern (CECs) in recycled water used for groundwater recharge. The location and time of the hearing are provided below:
January 22, 2013 – 9:00 a.m. Joe Serna Jr.-Cal/EPA Headquarters Building Coastal Hearing Room 1001 I Street, 2nd Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
BACKGROUND
The State Water Board adopted the Recycled Water Policy on February 3, 2009, under Resolution No. 2009-0011. The Recycled Water Policy has several provisions that mandate monitoring of CECs in municipal recycled water. CECs are generally unregulated in drinking water and include hormones, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, disinfection by-products, industrial chemicals, household chemicals, pesticides, and metals.
The Recycled Water Policy states that the knowledge regarding CECs is incomplete. Therefore, in accordance with the Recycled Water Policy, a “blue-ribbon” advisory panel (Panel) was established to provide guidance to the State Water Board on future actions related to monitoring CECs in recycled water. The Panel was charged with reviewing the scientific literature regarding CECs in recycled water, describing the current state of scientific knowledge regarding the risks that CECs pose to public health and the environment, and providing recommendations on monitoring CECs for specific recycled water uses.
In June 2010, the Panel submitted a report titled: “Monitoring Strategies for Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CECs) in Recycled Water – Recommendations of a Science Advisory Panel” (Panel Report), which presented recommendations for monitoring CECs in municipal recycled water for the uses of groundwater recharge and landscape irrigation. In December 2010, the State Water Board held a public hearing regarding the Panel Report and received public comments.
After the hearing on the Panel Report, staff prepared a proposed amendment to the Recycled Water Policy, based on the recommendations presented in the Panel Report. The proposed amendment includes CEC monitoring requirements for recycled water used for groundwater recharge. Following the recommendations of the Panel Report, staff did not propose monitoring of individual CECs in recycled water used for landscape irrigation. In May 2012, staff circulated the proposed amendment to the Recycled Water Policy for public written comment. In June 2012, staff sent the proposed amendment to scientific peer reviewers. Staff considered written comments submitted by the public before the July 3, 2012, deadline and written comments submitted by scientific peer reviewers, and made revisions to the proposed amendment. The revised proposed amendment was posted on September 14, 2012. Written comments were due on this revision on October 9, 2012. The State Water Board held a hearing to consider adoption of the proposed amendment to the Recycled Water Policy on October 16, 2012. Additional changes to the proposed amendment were provided at this hearing on two change sheets. Consideration of the proposed amendment was postponed to review the additional changes and complete the responses to public comments. After the October 16, 2012, hearing, staff incorporated the changes from the changed sheets into a new proposed amendment and made some additional changes. The latest proposed amendment has been posted on the State Water Board internet site. On the latest proposed amendment, only the most recent changes, which were proposed after the October 16, 2012, hearing, are shown in strikeout/underline format. Adoption of the proposed amendment is not a “project” as defined by Title 14, California Code of Regulations, Chapter 3, Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, since the proposed amendment only concerns monitoring. Hence, approval of an environmental document is not required to adopt the proposed amendment. AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS The latest proposed amendment to the Recycled Water Policy, previous versions, and other documents are available on the State Water Board’s Web site at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/water_recycling_policy/draft_amendmen t_to_policy.shtml