Water Quality Standards: Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for Fresh Waters in California
Summary
On December 10, 2024, the EPA Administrator signed a final rule to revise the current federal Clean Water Act freshwater selenium water quality criterion applicable to certain waters of California. The criterion reflects the latest scientific information and establishes levels of selenium that protect California’s aquatic life and aquatic-dependent wildlife. The criterion replaces California’s previous selenium criterion for certain waters that the EPA promulgated in 2000 as part of the California Toxics Rule.
Final Rule
- Federal Register Notice: Final Rule - Water Quality Standards; Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California
- Technical Fact Sheet: Final Rule Establishing a Freshwater Numeric Water Quality Criterion for Selenium for California Waters (pdf)
- Method for Translating Selenium Tissue Criterion Elements into Site-specific Water Column Criterion Elements for California, Version 2 (pdf)
- Technical Support Document: FINAL Aquatic Life and Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife Selenium Water Quality Criterion for Freshwaters of California (pdf)
Proposed Rule
- Federal Register Notice: Extension of Public Comment Period for Water Quality Standards; Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California (February 12, 2019)
- Federal Register Notice: Proposed Rule for Water Quality Standards; Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California (December 13, 2018)
- Fact Sheet: Proposed Aquatic Life and Aquatic-Dependent Wildlife Selenium Criterion for California Fresh Waters (pdf)
- Establishment of a Numeric Criterion for Selenium for the State of California
Public Hearings
The EPA held two public hearings so that interested parties could provide oral comments on the proposed rule.
The EPA considered all oral comments provided during the hearings along with written comments submitted via the docket for this rulemaking (available at Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0056).
Comments on the Proposal
The EPA accepted public comments on the proposed rule between December 13, 2018 and March 28, 2019. All written comments that were submitted on the proposal can be accessed at regulations.gov (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0056).