Regulatory Alert (RA 02-18)

To: Members & Affiliates, Water Quality Committee
From: National Office
Date: September 13, 2002
Subject: EPA Publishes First Edition of the Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM) Guidance Document
Reference: RA 02-18

Action Please By:
October 7, 2002

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August 2002 published the first edition of its long-anticipated Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM). The document can be downloaded at http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/calm.html. Originally expected to be released in 2001, the CALM document was delayed due to Agency concerns regarding major aspects of the document, and even now has been issued with three chapters either still under development or saved as placeholders for a later version of the guidance. The purpose of CALM is to provide states with a framework for improving the methods used to determine the status of attainment of all waters within their jurisdiction and to identify those waters that are impaired. The document also is intended to assist states in developing their integrated reports of state waters and their required assessment and listing methodologies in accordance with EPA’s 2002 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report Guidance (see http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/regalerts/ra01-21.cfm). The states are required to submit their next list of impaired waters by October 1.

During the initial phases of CALM, AMSA met with lead EPA staff and participated in each of several development meetings in the fall of 2000 to convey the issues and concerns of the publicly owned treatment works (POTW) community. The National Office submitted comments to the Agency on an earlier draft outline of CALM in December 2000, a copy of which can be accessed via the AMSA web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/CALM12-14-00.pdf. In March 2002, AMSA, in concert with the Federal Water Quality Coalition and the American Farm Bureau, released its own set of recommendations on the listing and assessment process. The document can be downloaded at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/wqmar/ on the AMSA web site.

Member Feedback Encouraged
The Agency is welcoming comments from all interested parties, although no deadline for submittal was specified. Specific comments are encouraged on how the document may be improved and on case studies and examples where methods are working or need to be modified. It is EPA’s intent to revise CALM as needed in the future. We encourage you to review this guidance and submit comments or specific case studies by Thursday, October 10 to AMSA c/o Will Pettit at wpettit@amsa-cleanwater.org or 202/833-3280. AMSA will continue to track the progress of CALM, and submit comments based on member feedback.

Summary of CALM
EPA formatted the CALM guidance as a series of questions needed to document each state’s listing methodology. It is split into three parts. Part A deals with water quality standards (WQS) attainment decisions and identification of impaired waters, and is organized according to the types of data that may be used to support these decisions. Part B involves designing a comprehensive monitoring program to assess the extent to which waters are attaining WQS and to identify impaired waters. Part C, still under development, will detail approaches for reporting on WQS attainment for the full inventory of waters in the 303(d) list.

The following is a summary of significant aspects of the current CALM chapters.

Part A:
Chapters 3-9 include information on WQS attainment decisions. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the process used to assess WQS attainment and identify impaired waters, including the type of data used to demonstrate attainment status with different categories of designated use (i.e., aquatic life, recreation, public water supply, and fish and shellfish consumption). This chapter includes a specific recommendation that, regardless of the type of WQS being assessed, the state should articulate the types of data or indicators used to determine attainment status and the thresholds used to distinguish attainment from nonattainment. Chapter 3 also includes a chart (see p. 3-9) which explains how the Independent Applicability Process is used to reconcile conflicting results among different data sets.

Each of the subsequent chapters addresses the use of different types of data in making attainment determinations.

The guidance summarizes the most common approaches for integrating biological data into state WQS programs (p. 5-4), and describes how bioassessment data can be used in each type of state program. The document also includes recommendations on the level of rigor necessary for use of Level 1-4 data in key components of a biological assessment (e.g., reference conditions, temporal coverage, indicator assemblage, and precision of assessments) (p. 5-8). In addition, this section describes the overarching strategy for analysis of biological data (p. 5-25), the multimetric approach to analyzing data (p. 5-28), the combination of metrics and multiple discriminant analysis (p. 5-30), and a modeling approach using observed/expected taxa (p. 5-31).

In addition, EPA specifies that any credible and feasible approach for use of habitat indicators should include a clear statement of the use of habitat indicators within the context of the CWA and relevant state laws and if not documented in the WQS, should be documented in the assessment and listing methodology (p. 8-11). States should also ensure that use of habitat indicators is at an appropriate scale and stratification to be meaningful in comparison to reference conditions (see p. 8-13 for recommendations on establishing reference conditions), and that there is an emphasis on quantitative measures.

Part B:
This section of the document comprises two chapters, both of which detail integrated monitoring design for comprehensive assessment and identification of impaired waters. Chapter 10 provides information on selecting metrics or indicators of WQS attainment, including point, nonpoint, geological, and hydrological sources. Chapter 11 describes monitoring network design and implementation scenarios, addressing such issues as how the state defines its waters, what monitoring designs are used to support the state’s decision making needs, and how implementation of the monitoring program achieves stated objectives.

EPA also suggests that implementation plans be established in addition to the monitoring design network. The guidance identifies several options for tailoring implementation plans to waterbody types, individual basins, and applicable designated uses (p. 11-1), and suggests a five- or six-year monitoring schedule for the first two types.

Part C:
Chapter 12, not yet published, will include information on integrated data management and documentation.

For more information on CALM, please contact Will Pettit at 202/833-3280 or wpettit@amsa-cleanwater.org.