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Abstract:
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This update document provides guidance to States and Tribes authorized to establish water quality standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to protect aquatic life from acute and chronic effects of cadmium. Under the CWA, States and Tribes are to establish water quality criteria to protect designated uses. While this document constitutes U.S. EPA's scientific recommendations regarding ambient concentrations of cadmium, this document does not substitute for the CWA or U.S. EPA's regulations; nor is it a regulation itself. Thus, it cannot impose legally binding requirements on U.S. EPA, States, Tribes, or the regulated community, and might not apply to a particular situation based upon the circumstances. State and Tribal decision-makers retain the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that differ from this guidance when appropriate. U.S. EPA may change this guidance in the future. |