Comparison of Aquatic Life Protective Values Developed for Pesticides Under the FIFRA and the CWA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of draft analyses comparing aquatic life benchmarks developed by the EPA's Office of Pesticides Programs (OPP) in support of registration decisions for pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to existing national recommended aquatic life Ambient Water Quality Criteria and criteria-related values developed under the Clean Water Act (CWA) for the protection of aquatic life from pesticides. The EPA's draft analyses show that the values developed under these statutes are similarly protective of aquatic life and that the most sensitive OPP aquatic life benchmarks, which are updated regularly to include the latest science, could also serve as CWA section 304(a)(1) recommended aquatic life criteria or 304(a)(2) informational benchmarks for pesticides. The EPA will accept public comments on the draft analyses and potential application of OPP aquatic life benchmarks for CWA 304(a) purposes for 30 days upon publication in the Federal Register.