| Water Body Name: | Little Deer Creek |
| Water Body ID: | CAR5172001220011211134726 |
| Water Body Type: | River & Stream |
DECISION ID |
7011 |
Region 5 |
Little Deer Creek |
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| Pollutant: | Mercury |
| Final Listing Decision: | Do Not Delist from 303(d) list (TMDL required list) |
| Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: | List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)(2006) |
| Revision Status | Revised |
| Sources: | Resource Extraction |
| Expected TMDL Completion Date: | 2016 |
| Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: | Pollutant |
| Regional Board Conclusion: | This pollutant is being considered for removal from the section 303(d) list under section 4.5 of the Listing Policy. Under this section a single line of evidence is necessary to assess listing status.
Two lines of evidence are available in the administrative record to assess pollutant. Four fish samples exceed the water quality objective. In addition, three water samples exceed the water quality objective. Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is sufficient justification against removing this water segment-pollutant combination from the section 303(d) list. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that: 1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy. 2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy. 3. Four of 6 fish tissue samples exceeded the USEPA fish tissue criterion for human health. This fish tissue data was used to list Little Deer Creek on the section 303(d) list in 2002. Three out of 6 samples exceed the USEPA (CTR) mercury-based numeric criterion for human health and this sample size is insufficient to determine with the power and confidence of the Listing Policy if standards are not met. A minimum of 28 samples are needed for application of Table 4.1. 4. Pursuant to section 4.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are met. |
| Regional Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be removed from the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards for the pollutant are being exceeded. |
| State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation: | |
| State Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of this Regional Board decision, SWRCB staff recommend the decision be approved by the State Board. |
| USEPA Action (if applicable): | USEPA approved the listing of this water body as a water quality limited segment requiring a TMDL for this pollutant. |
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| LOE ID: | 22390 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Mercury | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Tissue | ||||
| Matrix: | Tissue | ||||
| Fraction: | Total | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Commercial or recreational collection of fish, shellfish, or organisms | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 6 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 4 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Six Brown Trout samples were collected for tissue analysis at one location from Little Deer Creek. Four of the 6 samples exceeded the USEPA fish tissue criterion for human health. The wet weight mercury concentrations of the 6 samples ranged from 0.23 ppm to 0.39 ppm, with an average of 0.32 ppm. All of the samples were collected from fish with total lengths greater than 150 mm, which represent fish most commonly caught and consumed by sport fishers and their families. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Mercury Bioaccumulation in Fish in a Region Affected by Historic Gold Mining: The South Yuba River, Deer Creek, and Bear River Watersheds, California, 1999. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-367. Prepared in cooperation with Bureau of Land Management; California State Water Resources Control Board; Nevada County Resource Conservation District; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sacramento, CA | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances in concentrations that produce detrimental physiological responses in human, plant, animal, or aquatic life. The objective applies regardless of whether the toxicity is caused by a single substance or the interactive effect of multiple substances. | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the California Regional Water Quality Control Board Central Valley Region, Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins. 4th ed | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | The USEPA Fish Tissue Residue Criterion for methylmercury in fish is 0.3 mg/kg (0.3 ppm) for the protection of human health. This is the concentration in fish tissue that should not be exceeded based on a total fish and shellfish consumption-weighted rate of 0.0175 kg fish/day (USEPA, 2001). | ||||
| Guideline Reference: | Water Quality Criterion for the Protection of Human Health: Methylmercury. Final. United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Science and Technology Office of Water. EPA-823-R-01-001. January 2001 | ||||
| Spatial Representation: | Samples were collected at one location from Little Deer Creek near Pioneer Park, approximately 0.4 miles upstream of its confluence with Deer Creek. | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | Fish samples were collected during one sampling event on 10/6/1999. | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | Significant gold mining activity occurred during the Gold Rush era within the Little Deer Creek watershed (USGS, 2005). | ||||
| QAPP Information: | Data quality: Excellent.. In accordance with section 6.1.4 of the Listing Policy, data from major monitoring programs in California and Published USGS reports are considered of adequate quality. | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |||||
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| LOE ID: | 4466 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Mercury | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Tissue | ||||
| Matrix: | Tissue | ||||
| Fraction: | Not Recorded | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Commercial or recreational collection of fish, shellfish, or organisms | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 0 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 0 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | Not Specified | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Unspecified--This LOE is a placeholder to support a 303(d) listing decision made prior to 2006. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d) | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | Unspecified | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d) | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | Unspecified | ||||
| Guideline Reference: | Placeholder reference pre-2006 303(d) | ||||
| Spatial Representation: | Unspecified | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | Unspecified | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | Unspecified | ||||
| QAPP Information: | Unspecified | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |||||
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| LOE ID: | 22391 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Mercury | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water | ||||
| Matrix: | Water | ||||
| Fraction: | Total | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Commercial or recreational collection of fish, shellfish, or organisms | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 6 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 3 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | A total of 10 water samples were collected at one location from Little Deer Creek representing six 30-day average samples. Three out of the six 30-day average samples exceeded the USEPA (CTR) mercury-based numeric criterion for human health. The total recoverable mercury concentrations in water ranged from 1.1 ng/l to 519 ng/l with an average of 130 ng/l for the six 30-day average samples. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Deer Creek Watershed Mercury Survey, draft 2-28-2007 | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | The USEPA (CTR) numeric criterion for the protection of human health for the consumption of both water and fish that live in the water is 50 ng/l (30-day average) for total recoverable mercury (40 CFR 131.38). | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Standards 2000. Establishment of numeric criteria for priority toxic pollutants for the State of California: Rules and regulations. Federal Register Vol. 65, No. 97. Washington, D.C.: Environmental Protection Agency | ||||
| Water Quality Control Plan for the California Regional Water Quality Control Board Central Valley Region, Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins. 4th ed | |||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | |||||
| Guideline Reference: | |||||
| Spatial Representation: | Samples were collected at one location from Little Deer Creek at the culvert entrance above the Stonehouse parking lot. | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | Water samples were collected during ten sampling events from 09/15/2005 to 6/29/2006. | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | Samples represented a range of flow conditions, including two low-flow irrigation season events, four high-flow storms, and four intermediate-flow winter and spring events. Significant gold mining activity occurred during the Gold Rush era within the Little Deer Creek watershed (USGS, 2005). | ||||
| QAPP Information: | Data quality: Excellent. Protocols for the water sampling conducted for this study are described in Field Sampling Protocols for Total Mercury Water Samples (Friends of Deer Creek, 2005). Quality Control for all of the elements described in section 6.1.4 of the Policy was conducted in accordance with the Citizen Water Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan For The Yuba Watershed Monitoring Committee (van der Veen, 2004). The Friends of Deer Creeks mercury survey was a collaboration with the Regional Water Quality Control Board/Central Valley Region and their CALFED mercury QA program. | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | |||||