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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
National Research Council
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Water Science and Technology Board
Committee for the Review of EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards
for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida

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Congressional Briefings
Monday, March 5, 2012
716 Hart Senate Office Bldg. – 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
468 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg. – 2:00 p.m.
and
B376 Rayburn House Office Bldg. – 3:30 p.m.

and

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

716 Hart Senate Office Bldg. – 1:45 p.m.

on

Review of the EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida

by

GLEN T. DAIGGER (NAE), CH2M Hill, Inc., Englewood, Colorado, and Chair, Committee for the Review of EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida

LEONARD A. SHABMAN, Resources for the Future, Arlington, Virginia, and Vice Chair, Committee for the Review of EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida

OTTO C. DOERING, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, and Vice Chair, Committee for the Review of EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida

LAURA J. EHLERS, Study Director, Committee for the Review of EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida, Water Science and Technology Board, National Research Council, The National Academies

A committee of the National Research Council’s Water Science and Technology Board reviewed EPA’s analysis of the costs of state implementation of final numeric nutrient criteria for lakes and flowing waters in Florida. The Committee evaluated the cost estimates of implementing the numeric criteria vs. the current narrative standard for nutrients, including the relevance and validity of assumptions and methods, giving special attention to discrepancies between EPA’s analysis and those of several stakeholder groups.

The Committee’s report reviews EPA’s assumption that costs should only be determined for waters that will be “newly impaired” as a result of the numeric nutrient criteria and for sources of pollution that would directly affect a newly impaired water. It also reviews EPA’s assumptions about the levels of control that could be used by certain point and nonpoint sources in order for impaired waters to come into compliance with the numeric nutrient criteria. Finally, the report suggests several improvements to the cost analysis that should be useful regardless of what water quality rule for nutrients is ultimately adopted in Florida.

These briefings were for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on March 6, 2012 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.