Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 23, 1992 TAG: 9201230279
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
STRICT WATER PLAN WILL COST POLLUTERS
Virginia's industrial and municipal waste-water dischargers may get soaked for hundreds of millions of dollars to meet proposed water-quality standards - the toughest in the state ever.The changes would also sharply limit, and in some cases eliminate, any potential growth or expansion of communities or industries.
About 50 public officials, engineering consultants and industrialists attended an educational meeting at Virginia Tech Wednesday night to learn more about the complex proposals.
In short, the state Water Control Board is considering a complete overhaul of water-discharge regulations that protect state waters, aquatic life and, for the first time, human health.
The changes are modeled after guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency - which took some bashing at the meeting.
The EPA has given states until Feb. 19 to adopt new, stricter standards or face federally imposed standards.
Alan Anthony, an environmental researcher with the Water Control Board, outlined the proposed changes, which include individual limits on 92 toxic pollutants.
State regulators currently base water quality on the use of the stream, lake or bay. Under the proposed rules, water quality would be based on each of those pollutants, including lead, mercury, benzene, chlorine, dissolved solids and so on.
The biggest burden on the discharges, Anthony said, will stem from a new federal policy, called "anti-degradation." The board must classify streams and rivers into three groups, ranging from low-quality streams to extremely high-quality, in which no new or expanded discharges would be allowed.
Anthony said most Virginia streams fall in the middle - better quality than current standards call for, so there's some allowance for additional discharges.
The board also will have to decide what level of human health risk to assign to the various toxins. EPA will allow a level of one cancer per 10,000 people, but is encouraging states to adopt a standard of one cancer per 1 million people.
The tougher the standard, the more costly to implement - the state agency's staff estimates up to $640 million in capital costs alone for the lowest risk level.
Anthony said that it could cost regulated industries and municipalities about $464 million to treate waste water for organic compounds, if the one cancer per 1 million risk level is adopted. But if the standard allows one cancer per 100,000 people, the cost drops to $46 million.
The new rules come at a time when many dischargers are finally catching up with existing water pollution controls. The changes could cripple their budgets, they say.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.