Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Oil and Grease and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons; Notice of Availability and Request for Comment

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 136

[FRL-5901-5]

Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Oil

and Grease and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons; Notice of Availability and

Request for Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of data availability and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: On January 23, 1996 (61 FR 1730), EPA proposed to amend the

Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants

under section 304(h) of the Clean Water Act to replace existing

gravimetric test procedures for the determination of the conventional

pollutant ``oil and grease'' (40 CFR 401.16) with EPA Method 1664, as

part of EPA's effort to reduce dependency on the use of

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). EPA also proposed to allow use of Method

1664 for determination of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). The

comment period on the proposal ended on March 25, 1996. On May 24, 1996

(61 FR 26149), EPA reopened the comment period until July 23, 1996. EPA

received analytical data during both comment periods and following the

close of the reopened comment period, and desires to consider these

data in its rulemaking. EPA therefore is making available for public

review and comment these additional analytical data which the Agency is

considering in establishing the final regulation approving use of

Method 1664.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before

November 3, 1997. All comments must be postmarked or delivered by hand

by November 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this notice to ``Method 1664--

Notice of Data Availability,'' Comment Clerk, Water Docket MC-4101,

Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20460. Commenters are requested to submit one copy of any references

cited in their comments and an original and two copies of their written

comments and enclosures. Commenters who want receipt of their comments

acknowledged should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. No

facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted.

A copy of the data received by the Agency during and pursuant to

the comment period for the proposed rule is available for review at

EPA's Water Docket, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. For

access to the Docket materials, call (202) 260-3027 between 9:00 a.m.

and 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) for an appointment.

The complete text of this Federal Register notice and Method 1664

may be viewed or downloaded on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/OST.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ben Honaker, Engineering and

Analysis Division (4303), USEPA Office of Science and Technology, 401 M

Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20460, or call (202) 260-2272.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 23, 1996 (61 FR 1730), EPA

proposed to replace currently approved gravimetric test procedures with

EPA Method 1664: N-Hexane Extractable Material (HEM) and Silica Gel

Treated N-Hexane Extractable Material (SGT-HEM) by Extraction and

Gravimetry (Oil and Grease and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) for

determination of ``oil and grease''. Oil and grease is a conventional

pollutant as defined in section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and

at 40 CFR 401.16. Method 1664 also was proposed for determination of

total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), a non-conventional pollutant

regulated in many National Pollution Discharge Elimination System

permits. The proposed rule is necessary to meet compliance monitoring

requirements of CWA and the chlorofluorocarbon phaseout requirements of

the Clean Air Act Amendments. Method 1664 was proposed under the

authority of Sections 301, 304(h), and 501(a) of CWA and the authority

of sections 604, 606, and 613 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. In

the proposed rule, the Agency requested comments, analysis, and

additional information on the replacement of Freon-113 with n-hexane,

the utility of Method 1664 for monitoring, the quality control (QC)

acceptance criteria in Method 1664, the method detection limit (MDL)

and minimum level (ML), the performance-based option criteria, and the

six-month implementation scenario. In response to this request, the

Agency received comments that provided additional analytical data

pertaining to Method 1664.

The comment period on the proposal ended on March 25, 1996. On May

24, 1996 (61 FR 26149), EPA reopened the comment period until July 23,

1996. EPA received analytical data during both comment periods and

following the close of the reopened comment period. The Agency desires

to consider these additional data in formulating the final rule for the

use of Method 1664.

This notice makes available for public review and comment all

additional analytical data received by the Agency since the publication

of the proposed rule. The additional data consist of results from

preparation blank analyses, solid-phase extraction analyses, comparison

of n-hexane-based extraction and freon-based extraction, and MDL and ML

data.

EPA is soliciting comment on the additional analytical data only.

Further comments on the proposal (61 FR 1730) will not be accepted.

These additional data neither represent any modification of the

proposed rule, nor indicate a change in the Agency's interpretation of

existing requirements. The data represent additional information which

the Agency is considering in establishing the final regulation

approving the use of Method 1664.

[[Page 51622]]

Dated: September 22, 1997.

Robert Perciasepe,

Assistant Administrator for Water.

[FR Doc. 97-26178 Filed 10-1-97; 8:45 am]

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