Applied Ecosystem Services, LLC

The Environmental Issues Doctor

The basis for setting water quality standards is decades out of date, given our current understanding of environmental data and availability of recently developed statistical models. The use of a single maximum concentration limit (MCL) for individual chemical elements does not reflect natural ecosystem function nor provide accurate indications of whether regulated industrial activities adversely impact the specific designated beneficial uses of surface or ground waters at specific locations. Water is a complex mixture of compounds, not individual ions, and concentrations vary with temperature, pH, binding and release with inorganic and organic substrata, and other factors. A sample of water represents a snapshot at a specific time and place. This is why aquatic ecologists have established data collection standards to minimize variability when measuring physical and chemical parameters of flowing and standing waters.

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