1. Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance and Database: Restructured and in Review
Larry Champagne, TCEQ
Margaret Roy, Centerline Env. Consulting
Jim Rogers, West Texas A&M University
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Environmental Trade Fair 2015

2. Topics to be discussed
Larry: Discuss status & schedule of Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance (ERAG) and Ecological Protective Concentration Level (PCL) Database
Margaret: Discuss details on the draft final ERAG and Ecological Screening Benchmark Tables
Jim: Present an interactive tour of the Ecological PCL Database

3. Revised Draft January 2014: Conducting Ecological Risk Assessments at Remediation Sites in Texas, RG-263
Available online at the ERA Home Page: , or The TRRP Guidance and Forms Page: .

4. Draft January 2014 ERAG is an Interim Measure
Text was made accessible
Most recent surface water screening benchmarks were included
2007 changes to TRRP rule reflected
Text was edited for conciseness
Development of a draft final ERAG began immediately after 2014 version was posted to web

5. Why Revise ERAG Again? No updates to the science since 2001
Consolidation of other TCEQ ecological publications
Integration of Ecological PCL Database
No changes to the ERA process!

6. Draft Final ERAG Revisions
Incorporated concepts and text from:
TRRP-15eco
Issues Paper
Eco PCL Database
Benchmark tables and case
study separated from text
This is an image of a road sign that reads Under Construction.

7. Schedule and Milestones
Revised Benchmark Tables released for Eco Work Group review December 2014
Draft Final ERAG and Eco PCL Database will be released simultaneously to Work Group for review
Eco Work Group comments due days following release

8. Schedule and Milestones (cont.)
Meetings and conference calls likely during and after review period
Incorporate revisions, meet accessibility requirements, and submit to Agency Communications for review
Projected posting to web in 2016

9. The Draft Final ERAG I am reorganized and revitalized! ERAG
This is a Clip Art image of a talking book saying "I am reorganized and revitalized!"

10. ERAG Reorganized and Updated
No Changes to the ERA process
14 Sections guided by the Required Elements from the TRRP rule
Coordinated with Eco PCL Database
Updated text, recent and relevant references added

11. ERAG Reorganized and Updated (Cont.)
Descriptive text added for development of a SLERA work plan
Clarification and updates made to:
exposure modifying factors
use of bioassessibility for arsenic and lead
use of acid volatile sulfides and simul-taneously extracted metals procedure

12. Connections to Other TCEQ Documents
TX Surface Water Quality Standards
Implementation Guidance
Risk Based Exposure Limit (RBEL) Tables
Impaired Water Bodies, 303(d) listing
Determining PCLs for Surface Water and Sediment (TRRP-24)
Determining Representative Concentrations of COCs… (TRRP-15eco)

13. Benchmarks (Surface Water, Sediment, Soil)
Extracted from ERAG text, now in Excel with supporting documentation
Surface Water - Acute values added
Sediment - Second effects and midpoint benthic PCLs added
Radionuclide screening values added
Munitions screening values added
Background values added for 5 metals

14. Alternate and Proposed Benchmarks
Text discussion within ERAG
LC50 approach
Equilibrium Partitioning (EqP)
Surrogate chemical data

15. TRRP-15eco and ERAG TRRP-15eco compliments ERAG and fills in gaps
Both documents cross-reference each other
Both documents should be consulted when preparing ERAs

16. ERAG – Some Key Inputs from TRRP-15eco
Data from ecological habitat: develop an ecological exposure point concentration
Hot Spot Analysis: now recommended to be included in a Tier 2 or Tier 3 ERA
Sediment (fish receptor) exposure pathway

17. Not Ecological Habitat!
These are 5 photos that represent properties that are not considered to be ecological habitat. One shows pipe racks and tanks, a second shows a tank farm, a third shows a parking lot with industrial buildings in the back, a fourth shows a loading dock with soil in the foreground, and the 5th shows a well groomed and mowed golf course fairway and green.

18. ERAG – Other Changes
Bioaccumulative Designation – silver in soil has been added
References to and brief instructions for the Ecological PCL Database included
Body Scaling – removed from guidance

19. Expanded Case Study
Case Study separated out from ERAG and expanded to include:
Tier 1 Checklist
Tier 2 SLERA
Ecological Services Analysis
Separate file allows for updates and additional scenarios to be added in the future.

20. Ecological PCL Database
Considered an extension of ERAG
Used for ERA inputs: receptor life history info, toxicity reference values (TRV), uptake factors
Tier 2 development of conservative, average TRV, and refined (based on exposure modifications) PCLs

21. Contact Information
Larry Champagne Margaret Roy Dr. Jim Rogers

22. Questions?
This is an image of a man with his head inside a computer with a caption that reads Questions?

23. Ecological PCL Database
This is a screenshot of the Ecological PCL Database's Calculator Home Page.