New York and New England States Cite Atmospheric Mercury Deposition from Other States as Primary Cause of Adverse Mercury Water Quality Levels

October 28, 2008 New York and the New England States (Connecticut, Maine,  Massachusetts, New Hampshire,  Rhode Island, and Vermont  coordinated by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission “NEIWPCC” ) filed a petition under the non-point source control provisions of  §319(g) of the Clean Water Act (33 USC §1329 ) requesting that  EPA convene an interstate conference to address contributions of airborne mercury emissions that upwind states are allegedly making to downwind water quality. The petition asserts that the following "out-of-region" states are the most significant contributors of airborne mercury that is adversely affecting water quality:

Pennsylvania                 21.7%

New Jersey                  5.6%

Ohio                             5.5%

West Virginia                3.9%

Maryland                       3.7%

Michigan                       2.0%

Virginia                        1.5%

Indiana                        1.3%

Kentucky                     1.2%

North Carolina             1.1%

Illinois                          0.9%

                                           

Section 319(g) is part of the CWA nonpoint source management program applicable to States implementing an approved §319 nonpoint source management program. If water quality standards in a State are not being met due to pollution from non-point sources in another State, such State may petition the EPA Administrator to convene, and the EPA shall convene, a management conference of all States which contribute significant pollution resulting from nonpoint sources in another State(s). The conference’s purpose “shall” be to forge an agreement to reduce the sources of nonpoint source pollution from the source State(s). (The statutory language is mandatory)  Of significance is that §319(g) specifically provides that citizen suits pursuant to §505 CWA (33 USC §1365) are not available to force the Administrator to convene a requested conference. If States reach agreement through such conference, the management programs of the States which are parties to such agreements and which contribute significant pollution to waters of other States not meeting applicable water quality standards will be revised to reflect such agreement.  EPA has identified atmospheric deposition as a type of non-point source water pollution.

This article was authored by Barbara D. Little, Jackson Kelly PLLC. For more information on the author see here.