Meeting Set for January 4 in Indy to discuss Proposed

Statewide Variance from the Water Quality Standards for Mercury

Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, January 4 from 1:00 to 4:00 for an Indy meeting to discuss the Statewide Mercury Variance for NPDES permit holders. Improving Kids' Environment is hosting the meeting. We will meet at the Indiana Environmental Institute in the ISTA Building - 5th Floor. We still need to finalize arrangements.

Please RSVP to IKE's Tom Neltner at 317-442-3973 or email him at mccabe@ikecoalition.org if you plan to attend. Feel free to forward this email to others who may be interested in attending. We may need to limit the number of participants in order to ensure a productive discussion.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Statewide Mercury Variance for NPDES permit holders. With Bill Beranek of the Indiana Environmental Institute as a facilitator and key stakeholders participating, we plan to provide IDEM with specific suggestions to enhance the Statewide Mercury Variance language that was proposed with the Water Quality Standards rules in the February Indiana Register. The language in the proposal had some ambiguity to it that could make the proposal more effective and simpler if revised. And new research into the amounts of mercury coming from the rainwater and other sources may provide helpful insight. Call me if you need a copy of the proposed variance language.

IKE will invite activists, municipalities (through the Inter-Municipal Task Force), key industry leaders that may handle mercury (hospitals, universities, research, etc.), and government reps with a role in mercury.

I anticipate that we will schedule follow-up meetings to build on the discussion.

The tentative agenda is as follows:

1. Welcome and introductions (Bill Beranek)
2. Review of the proposed variance language and potential flexibility to enhance the proposal (Kari Simonelic - IDEM - OWM)
3. Presentation about the sources of mercury, its hazards, resources available to recycle it, and the educational efforts that are underway. (Paula Smith - IDEM - OPPTA & Stephanie Biehn - Indiana Regional Household Hazardous Waste Task Force).
4. Presentation about the new testing procedures that will quantify mercury concentrations at much lower levels - levels that compare to the water quality standards for mercury. (not yet determined)
5. Development of conceptual approach to variance
6. Identification and analysis of potential implementation barriers
7. Identification of potential areas of consensus and of disagreement.
8. Next steps and next meeting.

Copy of the variance language that was proposed in the February 1, 1999 Indiana Register will be available soon.

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