Defining Away Metal Contamination in Georgia Streams

Abstract

Proceedings of the 2001 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 26 and 27, 2001, Athens, Georgia.Currently the State of Georgia regulates only metals in the dissolved form, based on the recommendations of the US EPA. This change was made in 1998 and has ramifications for Georgia water quality. 943 stream miles that were listed as having metals violations in the 1998 305 B list were no longer listed as having metals violations in the 2000 305 B list. In addition 43% of these streams were removed entirely from the list. This implies that these streams no longer suffer from metal contamination. We have also conducted research on the Chattahoochee River which indicates that the concentrations of dissolved arsenic, copper, cadmium and lead are well below the new criteria. However, data on biota from this river indicate that the food web remains contaminated and that arsenic concentrations in fishes exceed consumption guidelines. These findings suggest that the new criteria do not adequately protect Georgia streams.Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThis book was published by the Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2202. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-397) or the other conference sponsors