| Aquatic Toxicology Unit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
•TRE |
State water quality standards require the protection
of all aquatic species from effects of pollution or other
man-induced detriment. Though many numeric water quality standards are
based on measured effects of individual chemicals, measurements can
be made of only a small percentage of chemicals in production today
and those measurements cannot predict the effects of complex
mixtures. In order to evaluate these biological effects, aquatic
toxicity tests are utilized by the Aquatic Toxicology Unit (ATU),
allowing determination of the combined effects of all constituents
of a solution. These biological analyses are therefore very
efficient and effective at predicting aquatic effects without having to
chemically analyze the solutions and make predictions of individual
and/or multiple chemicals. Tests may be conducted on samples of
complex wastewater, individual chemical compounds, or on actual
stream samples and can be sensitive enough to determine not only
lethality but also suppression of reproduction or growth of the test
organisms, effects which may ultimately reduce instream
populations. The ATU maintains extensive scientific literature on
the effects of many chemicals which allows us to predict effects based
on past testing by other researchers. This program has become a
nationally recognized leader in its field and has produced
demonstrated benefits in reducing the discharge of toxic substances
in toxic amounts. By incorporating whole effluent toxicity monitoring
with "Action Level" water quality standards, North Carolina has
been able to avoid costly and unnecessary regulation of several
ubiquitous wastewater constituents.
All permitted dischargers of complex wastewater in the state are required to perform self-monitoring of aquatic toxicity of their wastewater. Currently this totals approximately 580 industrial and municipal facilities. The ATU reviews all toxicity data reported by these facilities to verify data quality, track compliance with established permit limits, and make enforcement recommendations for non-compliant situations. Where a facility has indicated potential toxicity, the ATU will review and comment on toxicity reduction plans submitted by the facility. All toxicity analyses reported by dischargers must, by water quality regulations, be performed by a biological laboratory certified by the state for these tests. The ATU operates this certification program which includes, laboratory inspections, data tracking, and performance evaluation testing. Direct discharges which utilize biocidal chemicals in cooling water or similar wastestreams must submit proposed uses to the ATU for individual chemical use approval based on concentration, degradation, and toxicity of the compound Staff
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
For comments/questions about this site contact the ESB webmaster. |
|
This page created 3/19/01 |
|
| NCGov.com |
Environmental Sciences Branch 1621 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1621 919.743.8400 |