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M E M O R A N D U M CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD •CENTRAL VALLEY REGION 3.443 Routier Road, Suite A Phone: (916) 361-5600 Sacramento, California 95827-3098 ATSS: 8-495-5600 To: Technical Staff FROM: Jon B. Marshack Fresno,Redding and Environmental Specialist Sacramento Offices Environmental/Technical Support DATE: 13 May 1993 SIGNATURE: (updates and replaces memoranda �n p dated 3/26/90, 1/14/91, and 7/6/92) SUBJECT: WATER QIIALTI'Y GOALS FOR COMPONENTS OF PETROLEUM-BASED FUELS IN"MUN"DESIGNATED WATERS An increasing amount of our work involves the assessment and mitigation of petroleum- based fuel spills into soil and water. Various water quality criteria have been cited by staff in determining whether beneficial uses have been impaired or threatened by such spills. In an effort to achieve uniformity in the use of water quality criteria for this purpose and to bring to your attention the wide range of available and relevant criteria, I offer the list on the back of this memorandum. These values come from the staff report "A Compilation of Water Quality Goals", September-1991 edition, updated with more recent information. They are intended to be applicable to the protection of waters which are existing or potential sources of drinking water (waters which have the designated beneficial use in the Basin Plan of municipal or domestic supply (MUN) or which fall under the "sources of drinking water" definition of State Board Resolution No. 88-63). Several of the cited values are based on the taste or odor which these chemicals can impart to water. For these chemicals, impacts on the palatability of the water occurs at lower concentrations than health effects. The taste- and odor-related criteria are applicable, since both health effects and palatability are relevant to the assessment of - beneficial use protection and since the Water Quality Control Plans contain water quality objectives prohibiting adverse tastes or odors in ground or surface waters. In addition, an assessment of existing or potential water quality impacts should take into account State Board Resolution No. 68-16,Statement of Policy With Respect to Maintaining High Quality of Waters in California. Requiring cleanup levels which are lower than water quality criteria, but achievable with available technology, would be consistent with that policy statement. You will notice that the cited criterion for carcinogenic PAHs is lower than the EPA method detection limit in water. This criterion is based on low-dose extrapolation of data from animal toxicity studies. Therefore, the detection of any amount of these PAHs in water would indicate that beneficial uses have been impaired.