The Process of Developing a Selenium Standard for Great Salt Lake

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The Process of Developing a Selenium Standard for
Great Salt Lake

• Walter L. Baker, P.E.
• Great Salt Lake Selenium Open House
• May 20, 2008

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Bingham Copper Mine
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Zone A
Zone B
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Please note that the Zone B RO reject water
discharge to the tailings impoundment goes into
the North Expansion Impoundment
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JVWCD Proposed Discharges to the Jordan River _at_
8300 So. 2900 So.

• Standard to be met
• TDS of 1,200 mg/l (agricultural beneficial use)
• Se of 4.6 ug/l (aquatic wildlife beneficial use)
• Analysis
• At 7Q10 the concentration in the Jordan River was
  estimated to be no greater than 4.22 ug/l
• Allow TDS discharge but continue to monitor
  background concentration
• Estimated that JVWCDs TDS impact to GSL wetlands
  would be only 1.2 of the total load

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Water Quality Beneficial Uses

• Class 1 Drinking Water
• Class 2 Recreation
• Class 3 Aquatic Wildlife
• Class 4 Agriculture
• Class 5 Great Salt Lake
• Example
• Provo River beneficial uses - 1C, 2A, 3A, 4
• (sub-categories noted)

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Class 5 The Great Salt Lake

• No numeric standards
• Protected for primary and secondary contact
  recreation, waterfowl, shore birds and other
  water-oriented wildlife including their necessary
  aquatic organisms in their food chain, and
  mineral extraction

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Industry Brine Shrimp Cysts Birds Brine
Shrimp Cysts, and Brine Flies
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The Great Salt Lake

• Largest lake west of the Mississippi
• 4th largest terminal lake in the world over
  3,000 mi2
• 3 to 5 times saltier than the ocean
• Maximum depth is 35 feet average depth is 13
  feet
• Supports between 2 and 5 million shorebirds
• Supports mineral and chemical extraction brine
  shrimp industry duck clubs and recreation
• Home to 98 of Utahs swans 70 of the ducks
  and 31 of the Canada Geese
• Supports 85 of the states wetlands
• gt80 of the wastewater in the state flows into
  the GSL

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Biomagnification up the Food Chain

• Selenium in
• the Water

Brine Fly
Brine Shrimp
Birds
Deformities
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Timeline of Events

• 1986 NRDC complaint filed by the state
• 1990 settlement arrived at with KUCC
• 1991 JVWCD intervened
• 1995 Revised consent decree finalized between
  DEQ, KUCC and JVWCD
• trust fund created for remediation (52 million
  remains)
• KUCC must restore a quantity totaling 8,235
  ac.-ft./yr.
• 2000 ROD issued plan approved
• 2003 JVWCD applies for is issued an NPDES
  permit
• 2003 Permit appealed to the Water Quality Board
• 2004 JVWCD requests its permit be rescinded
• 2004 GSL Selenium Steering Committee seated

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ZONE B AND LOST USESEPARATE DESIGN
Feed Water
Zone B Facilities
Great Salt Lake 800 AFY 8,150 mg/l
Concentrate
Zone B Deep Wells 4,300 AFY 1,630 mg/l TDS
R.O.
Permeate 25 mg/l TDS
Municipal Water Supply 3,500 AFY 250 mg/l TDS
Remineralization
Lost Use Facilities
Great Salt Lake 165 AFY 8,000 mg/l
Concentrate
Shallow Aquifer Wells 1,400 AFY 1,200 mg/l TDS
R.O.
Permeate 25 mg/l TDS
Municipal Water Supply 1,235 AFY 250 mg/l TDS
Remineralization
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Please note that the Zone B RO reject water
discharge to the tailings impoundment goes into
the North Expansion Impoundment
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Creating the Steering CommitteeThe Objectives

• Create a partnership to develop a process
  provide expertise provide funding
• Transparency
• Establish a panel of expert scientists
• Perform research
• Recommend a standard that meets federal and state
  guidelines

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Steering Committee Make-up

• 1. Forestry State Lands
• 2. Wildlife Resources
• 3. EPA Region VIII
• 4. US Fish Wildlife
• 5. Brine Shrimp Industry
• 6. Mineral Extractors
• 7. US Geological Survey
• 8. Kennecott Utah Copper

• 9. Jordan Valley WCD
• 10. POTWs
• 11. GSL Alliance
• 12. GSL Alliance
• 13. Duck Clubs
• 14. Wasatch Front RC
• 15. DEQ
• 16. DWQ

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Standard Setting Process
Main Process Authority Manages Science Panel
Reports to SP Performs research
Makes recommendation To the Division of WQ
Initiates Rulemaking
Evaluates SP Recommendations
Science Panel
Steering Committee
DWQ
Private Contractors
DWQ
DWQ Board
EPA
Work Group
Steering Committee
Science Panel
Steering Committee
Contracts w/ consultants
Prepares scope of work Determines
methodology Identifies research needs Interprets
literature Recommends standards
Prepares rule for presentation To the WQB
Recommends numeric standard
Approves final standard
Develops overall objectives Develops
process Create Steering Comm.
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GSL Science Panel Charge

• Identify gaps in scientific understanding
• Assist the Steering Committee in selecting
  research contractors
• Specify and prioritize appropriate studies
• Specify sampling and lab methods
• Review concur with research work plans
• Perform peer review of the scientific studies
• Report progress to the Steering Committee
• Recommend a science-based numeric Se standard to
  the Steering Committee

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Science Panel (October 2004)

• Bill Moellmer,
• DWQ
• Teresa Presser,
• US Geological Survey
• Joseph Skorupa,
• US Fish Wildlife
• Bill Wuerthele,
• EPA
• Brad Marden, Parliament Fisheries

• Bill Adams,
• Rio Tinto
• Anne Fairbrother,
• EPA
• Don Hayes,
• University of Utah
• Theron Miller,
• DWQ

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Decision-making Process

• A quorum will be composed of 2/3 of the
  membership of the steering committee
• Seek consensus
• For procedural items, a two-thirds (2/3) majority
  is necessary
• For substantive items, a three-fourths (3/4 or
  super) majority is necessary
• If there is no super-majority, then the majority
  and minority position paper will be forwarded to
  the Water Quality Board

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How Will the Work be Funded?

• 20,000 each from JVWCD and Nature Conservancy
  (Science Panel Work)
• 15,000 EPA grant (lab round robin)
• 750,000 from North Davis Sewer District via an
  SRF loan (increased to 1.5 M later)
• 300,000 from Forestry, Fire and State Lands
• 130,000 KUCC
• 150,000 DEQ
• 74,000 from JVWCD and Nature Conservancy

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Selenium Study 4 Components
Output, bioaccumulation, and toxicological
endpoints in food chain
Output to atmosphere via vapor phase
Inputs
Output to sediment via permanent burial
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Science Panel RFPs

• Overall project management
• Project 1 Concentration effects of Se on
  nesting and wintering birds
• Project 2 Concentration and effects of Se on
  brine shrimp and brine flies
• Project 3 Determine mass loading of Se to GSL
• Project 4 Investigate the flux between water
  column, sediments and atmosphere
• Project 5 Predicting Se accumulation in brine
  shrimp

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Continued Work on the WaterDiet Egg
Bioaccumulation Model
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Science Panel Recommendations

• The water quality Se standard should be a
  tissue-based standard, based upon the selenium
  concentration found in bird eggs
• A water quality standard for Se that prevents
  impairment for aquatic dependent wildlife of
  Great Salt Lake lies within the range of 6.4 to
  16 mg/kg for bird eggs
• For implementation, the water column
  concentration of Se associated with the standard
  will be derived from the Bioaccumulation Model
• The State should adopt a tiered approach for
  monitoring, assessment, and management options to
  ensure the Se water quality standard is not
  exceeded

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Science Panel Research Recommendations

• Reassess update Bioaccumulation model
• Monitor Se in water and brine shrimp regularly
• Monitor tributary inflows and Se loads
• Sample atmospheric deposition of Se
• Conduct a Phalarope study
• Continue diet/egg sampling
• Further study on non-reproductive effects
• Studies to understand the Se/Hg interaction
• Verify brine fly/shrimp and water transfer
  factors

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Where We Are

• May 2 - Science Panel members make individual
  recommendations for a standard to the Steering
  Committee
• May 20 Open house to receive stakeholder input
• May 29 Steering Committee finalizes its
  recommendation to be made to the WQB
• June 20 Recommendation to WQB
• Sept. 16 WQB adopts Se standard

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Questions?