At their October 16-17, 2008 meeting, the State Water Control Board approved changes to the Virginia Water Quality Standards regulation as part of the triennial review of the standards. Due to the scientific complexity behind the numeric criteria for several toxic pollutants, the Board also directed staff to reconvene the triennial review ad hoc advisory committee to consider updates to aquatic life criteria for ammonia, copper, cadmium, cyanide and lead in § 9 VAC 25-260-140, Criteria for Surface Waters, and consider the need for a prohibition of any new or expanded mixing zones for persistent bioaccumulative toxic substances in § 9 VAC 25-260-20, General Criteria and Mixing Zones. The members of the committee have been invited to begin meeting with DEQ staff on a monthly basis from February through June to discuss the technical issues and determine what, if any, revisions to these criteria should be recommended to the Board for public comment. DEQ expects to return to the Board with a recommendation at their fall 2009 meeting.
The meetings of the re-convened triennial review ad hoc advisory committee will be held at the DEQ Piedmont Regional Office at:
4949-A Cox Road
Glen Allen, VA
23060
Directions to the Piedmont Regional Office can be found at the following website;
Five meetings have initially been scheduled for1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on the following dates;
Wednesday February 18, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday April 29, 2009
Wednesday May 26, 2009
Wednesday June 17, 2009
Actual duration of the meetings may vary depending on the complexity of the topics discussed and it is possible that it will not be necessary to hold these meetings on all the scheduled dates.