View Rule

EPA is proposing to amend the Federal regulations by withdrawing certain aquatic life criteria applicable to California's Los Angeles River and its tributaries. On May 18, 2000, EPA then promulgated a final rule known as the California Toxics Rule or CTR in order to establish numeric water quality criteria for priority toxic pollutants for the State of California that were not previously in the National Toxics Rule. Since California now has adopted, and EPA has approved, criteria for lead that are applicable water quality standards for purposes of the Clean Water Act, EPA has determined that the federally promulgated criteria for lead are no longer needed for the Los Angeles River and its tributaries. This rule does not remove any water quality protections. Rather, it removes a federal regulation that essentially duplicates State regulation. The withdrawal of the federally promulgated criteria will enable California to implement their EPA-approved water quality criteria for lead for the Los Angeles River and its tributaries.