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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 18-231

NOTICES

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BOARD

Approval of Recommendations for No Change

[48 Pa.B. 954]
[Saturday, February 10, 2018]

 On August 15, 2017, the Environmental Quality Board (Board) approved recommendations for no change to existing stream designations for streams that were evaluated in response to three petitions as follows:

Stream County Petitioner
Pickering Creek Chester Green Valleys
 Association
Dwarfs Kill Pike Dwarfs Kill Watershed
 Association
Little Sewickley
 Creek 		Allegheny Duquesne University

 The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) evaluated the physical, chemical and biological characteristics and other information on these waterbodies to determine the appropriateness of the current and requested designations using applicable regulatory criteria and definitions. In reviewing whether waterbodies qualify as High Quality (HQ) or Exceptional Value (EV) waters, the Department considers the criteria in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b (relating to qualifying as High Quality or Exceptional Value Waters).

 The ''outstanding resource waters'' EV qualifier in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b)(1)(iii) was considered for the Pickering Creek basin from its source to the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company Dam since this portion of the petitioned basin already has the prerequisite HQ designation. This qualifier establishes requirements for National, State, regional and local resource waters. To qualify for outstanding National or State resource waters, a government agency must adopt water quality protection measures for the waters. Waters that do not meet this criterion were identified in the petition. In addition, no public lands encompass Pickering Creek basin from its source to the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company Dam.

 The Department's integrated benthic macroinvertebrate scoring test described in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b)(1)(v) was applied to Dwarfs Kill. Based on petitioner information regarding certain EV regulatory criteria that may apply, the Department evaluated additional antidegradation criteria listed in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b) including: (1) the water is an outstanding National, State, regional or local resource water in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b)(1)(iii); (2) the water is a surface water of exceptional recreational significance in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b)(1)(iv); and (3) the water is a surface water of exceptional ecological significance in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b)(2). The Department determined that Dwarfs Kill did not meet any of these criteria and therefore recommended that the Dwarfs Kill basin maintain its current designated use.

 The Department's integrated benthic macroinvertebrate scoring test described in 25 Pa. Code § 93.4b(b)(1)(v) was also applied to Little Sewickley Creek. The biological condition scores of the candidate stations did not meet the 92% comparison standard required to qualify as EV waters. Further, samples were dominated by pollution tolerant and facultative anaerobic macroinvertebrates. Due to the poor macroinvertebrate diversity and high number of pollution tolerant taxa, Little Sewickley Creek will be listed in the Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report as impaired for the aquatic life use.

 Additional detail can be accessed in Stream Evaluation Reports that were provided to the Board. These are available to the public by contacting the Environmental Quality Board, P.O. Box 8477, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8477, (717) 787-4526. They are accessible on the Department's web site at www.dep.pa.gov (select ''Public Participation,'' then ''Environmental Quality Board (EQB),'' then ''2017 Meetings,'' under ''Meeting Agendas/Minutes/Handouts'' see ''August 15, 2017'').

PATRICK McDONNELL, 
Chairperson

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 18-231. Filed for public inspection February 9, 2018, 9:00 a.m.]


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