WAC 173-204-100
Authority and purpose. (1) This chapter is
promulgated under the authority of chapter 90.48 RCW, the Water
Pollution Control Act; chapter 70.105D RCW, the Model Toxics
Control Act; chapter 90.70 RCW, the Puget Sound Water Quality
Authority Act; chapter 90.52 RCW, the Pollution Disclosure Act of
1971; chapter 90.54 RCW, the Water Resources Act of 1971; and
chapter 43.21C RCW, the state Environmental Policy Act, to
establish marine, low salinity and freshwater surface sediment
management standards for the state of Washington.
(2) The purpose of this chapter is to reduce and ultimately
eliminate adverse effects on biological resources and significant
health threats to humans from surface sediment contamination by:
(a) Establishing standards for the quality of surface
sediments;
(b) Applying these standards as the basis for management and
reduction of pollutant discharges; and
(c) Providing a management and decision process for the
cleanup of contaminated sediments.
(3) Part III, Sediment quality standards of this chapter
provides chemical concentration criteria, biological effects
criteria, human health criteria, and other toxic, radioactive,
biological, or deleterious substances criteria which identify
surface sediments that have no adverse effects, including no
acute or chronic adverse effects on biological resources and no
significant health risk to humans, as defined in this regulation.
The sediment quality standards provide a regulatory and
management goal for the quality of sediments throughout the
state.
(4) The sediment criteria of WAC 173-204-320 through173-204-340
shall constitute surface sediment quality standards
and be used to establish an inventory of surface sediment
sampling stations where the sediments samples taken from these
stations are determined to pass or fail the applicable sediment
quality standards.
(5) Part IV, Sediment source control standards of this
chapter shall be used as a basis for controlling the effects of
point and nonpoint source discharges to sediments through the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) federal
permit program, state water quality management permit programs,
issuance of administrative orders or other means determined
appropriate by the department. The source control standards
establish discharge sediment monitoring requirements and criteria
for establishment and maintenance of sediment impact zones.
(6) Part V, Sediment cleanup standards of this chapter
establishes administrative procedural requirements and criteria
to identify, screen, rank and prioritize, and cleanup
contaminated surface sediment sites. The sediment cleanup
standards of WAC 173-204-500 through 173-204-590 shall be used
pursuant to authorities established under chapters 90.48 and 70.105D RCW.
(7) This chapter establishes and defines a goal of minor
adverse effects as the maximum level of sediment contamination
allowed in sediment impact zones under the provisions of Part IV,
Sediment source control standards and as the cleanup screening
levels for identification of sediment cleanup sites and as the
minimum cleanup levels to be achieved in all cleanup actions
under Part V, Sediment cleanup standards.
(8) Local ordinances establishing requirements for the
designation and management of marine, low salinity and freshwater
sediments shall not be less stringent than this chapter.
Note:
All codes, standards, statutes, rules or regulations cited in this chapter are available for inspection at the Department of Ecology, P.O.
Box 47703, Olympia, Washington 98504-7703.