WRRC Seminar

September 1, 3:00pm - 4:15pm
Mānoa Campus, Watanabe 420 Add to Calendar

First WRRC Fall 2011 Seminar

This Semester's Seminar Theme:

How USEPA water quality standards (WQS) are developed to address some, but not all known health-related contaminants and how these USEPA decisions affect the public health role of state water agencies.

A major focus of this Fall's seminar series will be to explain the mechanism, science and policies used by USEPA to establish new recreational WQS by 2012.

First Seminar - September 1, 2011:

John E. Ravenscroft, Jr. (USEPA, Office of Water of Science and Technology, Washington, DC) is The Doak and Richard Cox WRRC Invited Speaker.*

Seminar Title:

Development of New Recreational Water Quality Criteria: Current Directions

Abstract:

An important goal of the Clean Water Act is to protect and restore waters for swimming. EPA is developing new criteria recommendations to reflect the latest scientific knowledge on the effects of pathogens on human health, particularly for people who swim or engage in similar water contact activities. Over the past several years, EPA has performed various studies at recreational waters in fresh and marine environments including; development of a new enumeration method for measuring fecal indicator bacteria in surface waters, completion of a major epidemiology study at several beach locations, development of a predictive modeling tool to aid in beach monitoring and notification programs, and refinement of quantitative risk assessment approaches for estimating the effects of waterborne pathogens on human health. Results from these studies and others will provide the scientific foundation for new recreational water criteria recommendations to be published in 2012. EPA is also interested in supporting StatesÂ’ efforts in developing alternate criteria for inclusion in water quality standards that could account for site specific conditions. Some approaches under consideration include, adoption of an indicator and/or method that differs from EPA recommendations, incorporation of new microbial detection methodologies that may become available after the 2012 criteria publication, conduct of a quantitative microbial risk assessment to assess the potential human health risks associated with exposure to waterborne pathogens, and development of a sanitary site characterization to delineate the sources of fecal contamination contributing to a waterbody or watershed. The new criteria build upon the existing framework of public health protection in recreational waters and incorporation of the newest scientific knowledge and technical advances strengthens this framework.


*This seminar is made possible by a generous donation by Richard Cox in honor of his brother Doak.

Dr. Doak Cox was the first director of the University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center. Dr. Cox passed away on April 21, 2003. His long and illustrious career spanned 60 years and included positions with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Hawaiian Sugar PlantersÂ’ Association (HSPA), and the University of Hawaii. Cox was with the University of Hawaii from 1960 to his retirement in 1985 and was an Emeritus faculty member until his death.


Event Sponsor
Water Resources Research Center, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Philip Moravcik, 956-3097, morav@hawaii.edu

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