T4 AM Endangered Species and Environmental Contaminants: Status of the Science (Part 1)
Tuesday, 15 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in Ballroom 4

(THO-1117-828823) Overview of the draft methodology for conducting biological evaluations of aquatic life criteria.

Thompson, B¹, Erickson, R¹, Mayer, F¹, Russom, C¹, Spehar, R¹, ¹ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA

ABSTRACT- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (together, the Services) have developed a draft methodology for conducting the national consultations on EPA's Clean Water Act section 304(a) aquatic life criteria recommendations. The national consultations are a key component of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among the three agencies, published February 22, 2001 (66 FR 11202), regarding enhanced coordination under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. The methodology describes scientific procedures EPA will use in evaluating whether Federally-listed species are likely to be adversely affected by the 304(a) criteria chemicals at concentrations that could result in the water column. The methodology was jointly developed by toxicologists from EPA and the Services to ensure that there would be a coordinated approach to EPA's biological evaluations and any subsequent biological opinions issued by the Services. Central to the methodology are several approaches for using surrogate data to evaluate the toxicity of given chemical to Federally-listed species, as toxicity data on such species is usually limited. The methodology reflects the individual viewpoints of the scientists contributing to its development. As the methodology is still in draft stage, the content of the presentation will not necessarily signify an endorsement of agency policy. Technical Contributors: T. Augspurger2, D. Buford2, C. Delos1, J. Dillon3, J. Dwyer2, A. Garrett3, M. Henry2, T. Henry1, A. Howell1, L. Huff1, C. Johnson3, T. Kubiak2, F. Leutner1, G. Noguchi2, S. Sobieck2, C. Tartara3, D. Thomas1, 1U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3National Marine Fisheries Service.

Key words: methodology, threatened and endangered species, surrogate, biological evaluation