25 Years of Environmental ProgressIndiana Section
American Water Works AssociationFebruary 23, 2012
Thomas W. Easterly, P.E., BCEE, QEP CommissionerIN Department of Environmental Management
1
2
IDEM’s MissionWe Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment
IDEM’s mission is to implement federal and state regulations to protect human health and the environment while allowing the environmentally sound operations of industrial, agricultural, commercial and government activities vital to a prosperous economy.
How Does IDEM Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment?
• Develop regulations and issue permits to restrict discharges to the environment to safe levels.
• Inspect and monitor permitted facilities to ensure compliance with the permits.
3
How Does IDEM Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment?
• Use compliance assistance and/or enforcement when people exceed their permit levels or violate regulations.
• Educate people on their environmental responsibilities.
4
25 Years of Progress
http://www.in.gov/idem/files/state_of_environment_2011.pdf
5
6
25 Years of Progress• Air Quality:
– At the end of 2009, for the first time since ambient air quality standards were developed, all of Indiana met all of the health based ambient air quality standards (including the 0.075 ozone standard).
– During 2010, the new 0.15 microgram per cubic meter lead standard became effective and almost 700 people may be breathing air above that new standard. IDEM is working to make sure that those Hoosiers have clean air to breathe.
7
8
9
25 Years of Progress
• Cleanup of Contaminated Sites:– Indiana has a fully funded Excess Liability Trust
Fund to pay for petroleum clean ups from currently operated tanks.
– Indiana will issue an updated RISC Closure Guidance Document this year.
– Exposure to hazardous constituents is under control at 58 of Indiana’s 66 RCRA Corrective Action sites, while Groundwater contamination is under control at 55 of those 66 sites.
10
25 Years of Progress
• Cleanup of Contaminated Sites:– Since 2005, Indiana has cleaned up more than
2,500,000 illegally dumped waste tires.– All 1,269 tons of VX Agent stored at the Newport
Chemical Agent Facility since 1969 has been safely destroyed. VX destruction started in May of 2005 and was completed in August 2008.
11
25 Years of Progress• Water Quality Improvements:
– IDEM has assessed the water quality in 83% of Indiana’s waters to identify areas in need of improvement and has updated our Water Quality Monitoring Strategy to increase targeted monitoring.
– IDEM has used the 319 grant process to fund watershed improvement projects over the past five years that have prevented annual discharges of:
• 500,508,000 pounds of sediment• 546,871 pounds of nitrogen• 332,270 pounds of phosphorus
12
25 Years of Progress
• Water Quality Improvements:IDEM has documented the water quality improvements from these program efforts and removed the watersheds listed on the next page from the list of impaired waters.
13
25 Years of Progress
• Water Quality Improvements:• Big Walnut Creek
http://www.in.gov/idem/nps/files/watershed_success_epa_bigwalnut.pdf
• Clifty Creek http://www.in.gov/idem/nps/files/watershed_success_epa_clifty.pdf
• Pigeon Creek http://www.in.gov/idem/nps/files/watershed_success_epa_pigeon.pdf
• Bull Run/West Creek http://www.in.gov/idem/nps/files/watershed_success_epa_bullrun.pdf
14
25 Years of Progress
• Administratively extended NPDES permits.– In 2005, there were 263 administratively
extended NPDES permits– The last backlogged permits were issued in 2011—
all permits are current
15
Comparison of Region 5 States Permitting Program Status
compiled by U.S. EPA Region 5 for March 10, 2011 State
Environmental Directors Meeting
16
17
18
(573) (650) (385)
(295) (597) (467)
(Total Number of Title V Permits)
Great Lakes Legacy Act Funding• Indiana Uses Great Lakes Legacy Act
funds (managed by U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office or GLNPO) matched primarily by Natural Resource Damage settlements to fund dredging projects to address historical pollution, primarily on the Grand Calumet River.
19
Why Dredge the Grand Calumet?• The Grand Calumet River is the only “Area of
Concern” on the Great Lakes identified through the International Joint Commission (IJC) process found to have all 14 “Beneficial Use Impairments.”
• With the renewal of all waste water discharge permits, most remaining pollution is from contaminated sediments.
20
21
Great Lakes Legacy Dredging Costs
Project Name Construction State Share Est. O&M
West Branch Grand Calumet I
$33,000,000 $11,550,000 $1,000,000
West Branch Grand Calumet II
$45,000,000 $15,750,000 $1,000,000
NIPSCO to Stateline $12,000,000 $2,640,000 $500,000
DuPont Reach $88,779,110 $31,072,689 $1,000,000
Totals $179,279,110 $48,468,598 $3,500,000
22
BEACH Act Funding• Indiana Uses Beaches Environmental
Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act Funding to help pay for the sampling of water at beaches and to inform people of whether the beach is safe for swimming that day.
23
Beach Water is OK for Swimming?
YEAR AVERAGE BEST WORST
2010 82.5% 99% 26.4%
2011 84.8% 98.9% 51.4%
24
25 Years of Progress
• Water Quality: Combined Sewer Overflows – All 98 State lead CSO Communities and 7 of the 10
Federal lead Communities have entered legal agreements to address their CSO issues.
– We are working with USEPA to speed the progress on the remaining 3 Federal lead CSO communities.
– At least 27 of the CSO communities have completed their projects to address the release of untreated sewage during rain events.
25
26
27
28
Fish Tissue Mercury • Mercury emissions in Indiana have
decreased by approximately 20% over the past 14 years.
• Measured mercury deposition has decreased by 7% during this time.
• In spite of these reductions, there is no apparent change in mercury fish concentrations in Indiana.
Protection of Human Health• U.S. EPA’s “acceptable” fish mercury levels
are 0.3 mg/kg which is 300 ppb. • While the average fish tissue mercury levels
in Indiana have not changed, they are less than one half of this level.
• Indiana has historically called a stream impaired for mercury if a single analytical result (average of 3 fish) exceeded 300 ppb.
29
Protection of Human Health• At the end of 2010, U.S.EPA issued new
guidance on the proper interpretation of the fish tissue data.
• U.S.EPA’s guidance indicates that a properly calculated average mercury value is the appropriate interpretation of the limit.
• IDEM plans to reevaluate its mercury data using the U.S.EPA guidance.
30
31
Mercury Air Toxics Rule (MATS)Proposal Published: May 3, 2011
Final Rule Signed: December 16, 2011• Annual rule cost $9.6 billion.• Annual rule HAP benefit $500,000 to $6,000,000
(0.00209 IQ points per exposed person or 510.8 IQ points per year in US out of 31 billion IQ points)
• Rule cost is between $1,600 and $19,200 per $1 of HAP benefit.
• Estimated annual co-benefits $37 to $90 billion.
32
Mercury Concentration in Indiana Fish 1983 - 2006O
ct-
19
80
Au
g-1
984
Ju
l-1
98
8
Ma
y-1
99
2
Ma
r-1
99
6
Fe
b-2
00
0
De
c-2
003
Oc
t-2
00
7
Sample Date
0
10
100
1000
10000
Merc
ury
Co
ncen
trati
on
(p
pb
)
ppb=parts per billion
IDEM 2011-2012 GOALS AND CHALLENGES
33
2011-2012 IDEM Major Goals• Complete Antidegradation Rulemaking Process.
• WPCB Preliminary Adoption September 19, 2011.• Third Notice Comment Period December 7 to
December 30, 2011.• Final Adoption consideration by WPCB March 2012.
• Obtain U.S. EPA approval of attainment designations for PM2.5 for all of Indiana:• Evansville and Cincinnati and Northwest Indiana are
Final and effective.• U.S. EPA projects that Indianapolis and Louisville will
be Final in 30 to 60 days. 34
2011-2012 IDEM Major Goals• Complete CAFO/CFO Rulemaking Process.
• Done Final Adoption November 9, 2011.
• Adopt RISC Closure Guidance as an NPD.• Released for public comment May 6, 2011.• Revised NPD released for public comment on
January 6, 2012.• Presented to SWMB February 21, 2012.
35
2011--2012 IDEM Challenges
• Reissue NPDES General Permits Administratively and address antidegradation requirements.
• Develop and implement plan for seamless implementation of water program responsibilities currently assigned to: IDEM, ISDH, IDNR, IDHS, and ISDA.
36
Questions?
Tom EasterlyCommissioner
Indiana Department of Environmental Management317-232-8611
37
