Discharge Monitoring Report – Quality Assurance Study Program:
Major and selected minor permittees under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program are required to participate in the annual Discharge Monitoring Report – Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) study program. DMR-QA evaluates the analytical ability of the laboratories that perform self-monitoring analyses required by their NPDES permit.

If you’re required to participate in DMR-QA, you must report results for the analytes listed in your permit, provided that they are also included in the DMR-QA study analyte list. Not all of the analytes listed on your NPDES permit may be included in an individual DMR-QA study, and you may voluntarily report additional study analytes not listed in your permit.

From the WA State Dept. of Ecology: “New rulemaking will update protections for aquatic life from toxic chemicals"

We've started the rulemaking process to update our aquatic life toxics criteria. These criteria set limits for toxic chemicals so the plants and animals that live in the water can thrive. Based on federal recommendations and feedback from residents, we're working to update our aquatic life toxics criteria to reflect new information about toxic chemicals.

PFAS Update: Stay caught up with EPA’s actions to address PFAS.

In June 2022, EPA released four drinking water health advisories for PFAS:

• Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
• Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
• Exafluoropopylene Oxide (HFPO) Dimer Acid and its Ammonium Salt
• PerFluorobutane Sulfonic Acid and its Potassium Salt (PFBS)

Health advisory values identify the concentration of a contaminant in drinking water at which adverse health effects and/or aesthetic effects are not anticipated to occur over specific exposure durations. The EPA can develop interim or provisional levels to provide information in response to an urgent or rapidly developing situation. EPA published provisional health advisories for PFOA and PFOS in 2009 and have provided interim updates as of last month.

In June, EPA also issued its first test order under the National PFAS Testing Strategy. Test orders under the Toxic Substances Control Act are the first step under the National PFAS Testing Strategy to protect human health and the environment from the potential risks of PFAS. The information from these initial orders will provide the EPA with critical information on more than 2,000 similar PFAS that fall within these categories.

Earlier this year, EPA announced three clean water actions that advance progress under the PFAS Strategic Roadmap:

• Proposed the first CWA aquatic life criteria for PFOA and PFOS
• Issued a memo to proactively use NPDES permitting to reduce PFAS discharges
• Published a new draft method to measure adsorbable organic fluorine in water samples