MINUTES
TRACE ELEMENT NATIONAL SYNTHESIS PLANNING TEAM (TENSPT)
MARCH 30-APRIL 2, 1998
NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO
ATTENDEES

TENSPT members --

Bill Brumbaugh
Roger Fujii
Dennis Helsel
Mike Koterba
Jim Kuwabara
Denny Wentz

Dave Krabbenhoft and Pete VanMetre attended April 1-2.
Barb Ruddy attended selected sessions.
Jeff Armbruster (ARH/NAWQA, Southeast Region), Bill Horak (District Chief, Colorado), Ivan James (ARH/NAWQA, Central Region), Jeff Stoner (Chief, Nutrients National Synthesis), Marc Sylvester (ARH/NAWQA, Western Region), and Mike Yurewics (ARH/NAWQA, Northeast Region) attended April 2.

TENSPT members not able to attend --

Art Horowitz
Rich Wanty
Bill Wilber

PURPOSE AND ORGANIZATION OF MEETING

The objectives of the meeting were to reach closure on a number of outstanding issues, to agree on an approach for creating a written document summarizing the recommendations of the TENSPT, and to update TENSPT members and the National Leadership Team (NLT) with regard to progress. Thus, the meeting was organized around the report outline.

MONDAY, MARCH 30:

REPORT OUTLINE -- Denny Wentz distributed a draft report outline and explained the report organization. (A copy of the outline, showing who is responsible for developing the various sections, is attached at the end of the minutes.) The following were discussed and agreed upon. Individuals responsible for accomplishing each task are noted.

(1) The order of presentation of the five major "Issues Recommended for Further Study" (Reference Conditions, Human Exposure, Urbanization, Mining, Mercury) in the report is slightly different from the order of priority established at the first TENSPT meeting (Human Exposure, Reference Conditions, Urbanization, Mining, Mercury). This is because consideration of reference conditions must be included in the other four topics, and, thus, this issue should be presented first in the report. (WENTZ TO ADD EXPLANATION TO REPORT)

(2) Although the five major "Issues Recommended for Further Study" have been prioritized relative to each other, and sub-issues within each major issue also have been (or soon will be) prioritized, these priorities should not be considered as absolutes. Study Unit personnel should use the priorities to help make decisions regarding issues that are important within their specific Study Units. (WENTZ TO ADD EXPLANATION TO REPORT)

(3) An explanation regarding which media are considered to be most important with regard to each major issue, and why, should be added to each major issue discussion. For example, it is critical that trace elements in bed sediment from reference areas be analyzed first because a) this can be accomplished cost-effectively as part of the bed sediment and tissue occurrence and distribution survey, b) these data are most likely to be representative of upstream geologic conditions, and c) the data will allow a determination of the general adequacy of reference areas for further, often more costly, studies. (WENTZ, HELSEL, VANMETRE, KOTERBA, AND KRABBENHOFT TO ADD TO INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECTIONS)

(4) In accordance with the charter, a discussion of data issues (retrospective data, ancillary data, and data base concerns) should be included in each major issue discussion. [WENTZ TO PROVIDE SECTION TITLE (see attached outline); WENTZ, HELSEL, VANMETRE, KOTERBA, AND KRABBENHOFT TO ADD TO THEIR RESPECTIVE SECTIONS]

(5) A glossary should be added, particularly to explain NAWQA related terms. The glossary created for the 1991 NAWQA summary reports should be a good starting point. (WENTZ TO PROVIDE; INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS TO SUGGEST TERMS FROM THEIR SECTIONS FOR INCLUSION IN THE GLOSSARY)

RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING TRACE ELEMENTS -- Denny Wentz then presented a discussion of "Trace Elements Recommended for Consideration." The following comments pertain primarily to the table that summarizes information related to this topic.

(1) If speciation is to be performed for specific trace elements, the chemical species in question must be known as soon as possible so that it can be determined if NWIS parameter codes need to be requested. NWIS parameter codes are required for data to be stored in NWIS. (WENTZ TO SEND E-MAIL TO TENSPT REQUESTING A LIST OF TRACE ELEMENT SPECIES TO BE RECOMMENDED; KOTERBA TO REQUEST PARAMETER CODES, IF NECESSARY)

(2) The table column describing priority pollutants will be removed, as the reference is somewhat dated, and a newer reference cannot be found. (WENTZ TO DELETE)

(3) A column of standards or guidelines for dissolved trace element concentrations for protection of aquatic life will be added to the table. (BRUMBAUGH TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDED STANDARDS/GUIDELINES AND NECESSARY REFERENCES; WENTZ TO ADD TO TABLE)

(4) A second column summarizing the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) trace element guidelines for bed sediment will be added. (WENTZ TO DO)

(5) Fluoride and strontium will be deleted from further consideration. (WENTZ TO DO)

(6) Because boron, thallium, and vanadium either have USEPA primary drinking water maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) or are on EPA's contaminant candidate list for MCLs, these elements should be added (as ICP/MS determinations) to schedule 2703, if possible. Also, in an effort to attain cost savings, it should be determined if the arsenic included in schedule 2703 can be analyzed by ICP/MS (instead of the current atomic absorption, hydride generation procedure) without adversely affecting the detection limit (DL), accuracy, or precision of this analysis. Finally, it should be determined if we are currently losing low-level trace element concentrations from schedule 2703 (by overwriting data with values listed as
(7) HELSEL TO CHECK MINUTES FROM APRIL 1997 TRACE ELEMENT NATIONAL SYNTHESIS MEETING TO SEE IF URANIUM WAS RECOMMENDED FOR STUDY. WENTZ TO MODIFY TABLE, IF NECESSARY.

(8) Shading will be deleted from all parts of the table except for those trace elements included under schedules 2400, 2401, 2402, and 2703. The table (which is big and getting bigger) should be divided into two subtables: one for bed sediment and tissue and one for water. (WENTZ TO DO)

TUESDAY, MARCH 31 - WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1:

RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING TISSUE PROTOCOL -- Bill Brumbaugh presented results from a conference call held on March 24, 1998, that discussed possible revisions to the NAWQA protocol for evaluation of trace elements in tissue. Conference call participants included Bill, Kent Crawford, Rod Deweese, Bob Goldstein, Dennis Helsel, Sam Luoma, Mark Munn, and Terry Short. The following six options were discussed: (1) continue with present approach of collecting fish livers, (2) collect and archive fish fillets, in addition to livers, (3) sample a limited number of sites for tissue, based on bed sediment results, (4) sample only fillets and analyze only mercury and selenium, (5) collect whole fish rather than livers, and (6) collect bed sediment only. The general consensus of the group was that the current tissue protocol should be allowed to continue through at least one full cycle of the NAWQA Program before any changes to the protocol are considered.

After considerable discussion, and with some reservations based mostly on concerns regarding consistency of data from multiple species and appropriateness of livers for evaluating mercury concentrations in fish, the TENSPT members in attendance agreed to recommend the following course of action:

(1) Continue with the current NAWQA protocol of collecting fish livers for the 1997 Study Units

* Ensure that any changes to the National Target Taxa (NATT) list are documented

* Have the future Trace Elements National Synthesis Team (TENST) interact with the NAWQA Regional Biologists and other appropriate technical experts to determine target taxa that can be readily interpreted on a national basis

* Give serious consideration to development of regional target taxa

* Have the TENST analyze, in a timely manner, all trace element data from bed sediment and tissue occurrence and distribution surveys conducted during the first 10 years of the NAWQA Program to evaluate the usefulness of the data with regard to NAWQA objectives

* Have the TENST provide recommendations by October 2000 regarding the tissue protocol to be followed for the second full cycle of the NAWQA Program

(2) In addition to collecting fish livers for trace element analysis, have 1997 Study Units collect fish fillets (using existing NAWQA protocols) for possible later analysis of total mercury. Fillets should be collected from game/predator fish, wherever possible.

* Contact states where Study Units are located to see if they are interested in analyzing the fillets for mercury to assess health risks

* Archive frozen fillets from all fish at a central location to be managed by the TENST

* Have the TENST pursue funding options for analyzing the frozen fillets for total mercury by the Wisconsin District Mercury Research Laboratory

(BILL BRUMBAUGH AGREED TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN SUMMARY OF THE ABOVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INCLUSION IN THE REPORT.)

RECOMMENDATION REGARDING FILTRATION OF GROUND WATER SAMPLES -- Dennis Helsel noted that advocates of filtration at effective pore sizes less than 0.45 um usually are dealing with high solids (often surface) waters where use of 0.45 um filters can provide inconsistent results because of sediment loading on the filters. He also noted that the USEPA protocol for ground water used for drinking purposes is to pump at extremely low flow rates and not filter the sample. Both approaches are significant deviations from the current protocol of using a 0.45 um capsule filter, and adoption of either would not allow future data to be compared with those collected to date. Based on this information, the TENSPT recommends that we retain the current protocol until there are well founded reasons to change. (DENNIS WILL PROVIDE A WRITTEN SUMMARY OF THIS RECOMMENDATION FOR INCLUSION IN THE REPORT.)

DISCUSSION OF MAJOR ISSUES (REFERENCE CONDITIONS, HUMAN EXPOSURE, URBANIZATION, MINING, AND MERCURY) -- Each subgroup leader presented an update on development of the draft section of the report, including a discussion of the summary table for each section. It was agreed, based on these discussions, that each of the five sections should be modified as follows (WENTZ, HELSEL, VANMETRE, KOTERBA, AND KRABBENHOFT SHOULD INCORPORATE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE SECTIONS):

(1) Subissues (work elements in the summary tables) should be discussed in the same order in the text and in the table, if possible. If this is not reasonable, any departures, and the reasons for them, should be noted in the text.

(2) Each summary table, and the accompanying text, should include an estimate of the analytical and logistical costs needed to accomplish each work element. The analytical costs should be taken from the revised trace element table discussed previously. Logistical costs should be based on standardized personnel and time requirements for conducting the various NAWQA components. (WENTZ WILL WORK WITH KOTERBA TO ESTABLISH STANDARDIZED PERSONNEL AND TIME REQUIREMENTS; WENTZ WILL DISTRIBUTE GUIDELINES FOR CALCULATING LOGISTICAL COSTS.)

(3) Subissues (work elements) within each major issue should be prioritized using a standardized procedure developed for the urbanization issue. Each subissue should be ranked from 1 (low) to 3 (high) based on its scientific value (contribution to knowledge or data gaps), policy relevance, feasibility, and compatibility to NAWQA design. Scientific value and policy relevance should be considered more important than feasibility or compatibility with NAWQA design to resolve ties. (EACH SUBGROUP SHOULD DO THIS VIA E-MAIL OR CONFERENCE CALL.)

STRATIFICATION -- Although not specifically agreed upon at the meeting, it seems to make sense for each of the individual subgroup leaders/authors to include a brief discussion of stratification issues in their respective sections. A section has been added to the report outline for this purpose; see example under "Reference Conditions" in the attached outline.

(1) Reference Conditions -- WENTZ WILL CONTACT MARTY GURTZ TO FIND OUT THE STATUS OF THE GENERAL REPORT DISCUSSING REFERENCE SITES IN THE NAWQA PROGRAM AND TO DETERMINE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH REGARD TO DEVELOPING A STRATIFICATION STRATEGY FOR ECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS.

(2) Human Exposure -- HELSEL WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON POPULATION USING GROUND WATER AS A DRINKING WATER SUPPLY IN EACH OF THE STUDY UNITS. KRABBENHOFT WILL WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON FISH ADVISORIES IN EACH STUDY UNIT.

(3) Urbanization -- VANMETRE WILL INCLUDE A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF STRATIFICATION IN RELATION TO URBAN STUDIES, AS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED BY SQUILLACE AND LOPES, AND AS DISCUSSED IN THE DRAFT DESIGN DOCUMENT RECENTLY RELEASED BY THE ECOLOGICAL SYNTHESIS PLANNING TEAM.

(4) Mining -- KOTERBA WILL INCLUDE A BRIEF DISCUSSION ON PROGRESS HE AND BARB RUDDY HAVE MADE IN DEVELOPING A STRATIFICATION APPROACH FOR COAL, AND POSSIBLY METAL, MINING.

(5) Mercury -- KRABBENHOFT WILL INCLUDE A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE GENERAL APPROACH TO STRATIFICATION FOR MERCURY OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION.

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES --

WENTZ WILL CALL RICK SANZALONE TO DETERMINE IF COST SAVINGS CAN BE ATTAINED BY MODIFYING THE CURRENT BED SEDIMENT SCHEDULE TO ELIMINATE UNNEEDED CONSTITUENTS. WENTZ WILL RELAY OPTIONS TO THE TENSPT FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE PURSUING ANY CHANGES.

BRUMBAUGH AGREED TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONTAMINANTS RESEARCH CENTER (ECRC) LABORATORY IN COLUMBIA, MISSOURI, WOULD BE WILLING TO RUN ACID VOLATILE SULFIDES (AVS) PLUS SIMULTANEOUSLY EXTRACTED METALS (SEM: CD, CU, PB, NI, ZN) FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF SAMPLES AND WHAT THE APPROXIMATE COST PER SAMPLE WOULD BE FOR THESE ANALYSES. KRABBENHOFT SUBSEQUENTLY SUGGESTED THAT THE WISCONSIN DISTRICT MERCURY RESEARCH LABORATORY COULD BE SET UP TO ANALYZE SEM-AVS AND THAT HE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS OPTION.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2:

PRESENTATION TO NLT -- The NLT was briefed on progress of the TENSPT to date. The following presentations were made:

Dennis Helsel -- Summary of the first two meetings, including all issues considered, how they were prioritized, why some issues were dropped from further consideration, and other issues of concern (tissue protocol, extraction procedures for bed sediment, filtration of ground water).

Pete VanMetre -- Urbanization

Denny Wentz -- Reference Conditions

Dennis Helsel -- Human Exposure

Mike Koterba -- Mining

Dave Krabbenhoft -- Mercury Occurrence and Distribution

During Dave's presentation, he stressed interaction of the NAWQA TENSPT and the Mercury Initiative, which will be conducted under the Toxics Program and for which Dave has been asked to develop a formal proposal. To stimulate activities in both areas, Dave offered the services of the Wisconsin District Mercury Research Laboratory to provide free analyses of 40 bed sediment samples for total and methyl mercury to the NAWQA Program during the 1998 fiscal year. By distributing these among certain 1994 and 1997 Study Units, Dave hopes to begin to develop an understanding of the role of atmospheric mercury loading and wetlands in controlling mercury methylation. (Dave subsequently indicated that SEM-AVS data could be provided for each of the bed sediment samples, if he could obtain about $1,000 to purchase associated equipment and supplies. He previously has obtained most of the expensive equipment needed for this analysis, as part of other projects.) In conjunction with Dave's offer of free bed sediment analyses, Bill Brumbaugh offered the services of the Biological Resources Division ECRC Laboratory in Columbia, Missouri, to analyze mercury in 40-80 fish fillet samples at $50.00 per sample. Thus, for the nominal investment of $3,000 - $5,000 for analysis of fish fillets and SEM-AVS, it should be possible for the NAWQA Program to gain a considerable knowledge regarding the occurrence and distribution of mercury in bed sediment and fish, and, perhaps, begin to understand the linkages between these media.

The NLT agreed to consider Dave's offer. They also agreed that a formal presentation of the final TENSPT report should be made to the full NLT, possibly during the last week of June. They will get back to us regarding decisions on both issues.

TIMELINES -- In order to make a formal presentation to the NLT during the last week of June, the following timelines, which were agreed upon at the meeting, must be met:

DRAFT SECTIONS FROM ISSUE SUBGROUPS TO WENTZ------------MAY 8

COMPLETE DRAFT REPORT (WENTZ)---------------------------MAY 11-15

REFINE DRAFT REPORT IN DENVER (WENTZ/HELSEL)------------MAY 18-22

DISTRIBUTE DRAFT REPORT FOR TECHNICAL/COLLEAGUE REVIEW--MAY 26

RECEIVE REPORT FROM REVIEWERS---------------------------JUNE 5

REVISE DRAFT REPORT BASED ON REVIEWER COMMENTS----------JUNE 8-12
(HELSEL/KOTERBA/KRABBENHOFT/VANMETRE/WENTZ)

DISTRIBUTE REVISED DRAFT REPORT TO NLT------------------JUNE 15

FORMAL PRESENTATION TO NLT (WENTZ/HELSEL)---------------*

* Because the time for completing the report is already quite limited, it would be difficult to make this presentation prior to June 22.

- -------- TENSPT REPORT OUTLINE

Guidance for Implementation of Trace Elements National Synthesis within the National Water- Quality Assessment Program

Introduction and Background (Wentz)

--------History
----------------Charter
----------------Trace Elements National Synthesis Team Members
----------------Acknowledgments
----------------Issues Considered
----------------Issues Recommended for Study

--------General Approach to Stratification

--------Trace Elements Recommended for Consideration

--------Further Information

Issues Recommended for Study

--------Reference Conditions (Wentz)
----------------Issues
----------------General Questions
----------------Stratification
----------------Data Issues
----------------Recommendations
------------------------Summary matrix
------------------------Trace Elements in Streambed Sediment
--------------------------------Objectives
--------------------------------Approach
------------------------Mercury in Fish Fillets
--------------------------------Objectives
--------------------------------Approach
------------------------Trace Elements in Whole Fish
--------------------------------Objectives
--------------------------------Approach
------------------------Trace Elements in Surface Water
--------------------------------Objectives
--------------------------------Approach
------------------------Trace Elements in Land Use Studies
--------------------------------Objectives
--------------------------------Approach
------------------------Trace Elements in Study Unit Surveys
--------------------------------Objectives
--------------------------------Approach

(THE FOLLOWING FOUR ADDITIONAL ISSUES WILL BE DEVELOPED USING THE SAME APPROACH AS FOR REFERENCE CONDITIONS, ABOVE)

--------Human Exposure (Helsel)

--------Urbanization (VanMetre)

--------Mining (Koterba)

--------Mercury Occurrence and Distribution (Krabbenhoft)

Other Recommendations

--------Integration of Issues by NAWQA Program component (Helsel)

--------Filtration of Ground Water Samples (Helsel)

--------Tissue to be Analyzed (Brumbaugh)

--------Extraction of Bed Sediment (Helsel)

--------Biological Effect to be Measured (Wentz)

Resources Required (Helsel)

--------Staff

--------Funding

--------Time Lines

References

Appendix

--------Charter