Introduction to Minnesota’s plan to reduce mercury

Rebecca Place| Mercury Program Coordinator

September 26, 2017wq-iw4-02g2

Mercury in Minnesota

Minnesota Department of HealthFish Consumption Advisories

Children 15 and under: one walleye under 20 inches or Northern pike under 30 inches per month

Site specific meal advice

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/

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Impaired waters2/3 of all water bodies tested were impaired for mercury

Year 2004

• 1,239 impairments for mercury

Year 2016

• 1,670 impairments for mercury

• 78 new water bodies listed last year

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Minnesota has 14,000 lakes and 92,000 river and stream miles

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Mercury Exposure pathway

Mercury in Newborns in the Lake Superior Basin

• 1,465 newborn babies

• Most babies had low or undetected levels

• 8% had above US EPA’s safe dose

• In Minnesota 10% of newborns had above safe level

• Babies born in summer months had elevated mercury levels

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http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/tracking/biomonitoring/projects/lksuperior.html

Mercury TMDL Implementation | State of the Knowledge 2017

Total maximum daily load study

• Assess Waters for impairments

• Complete pollutant load allocation calculations

• Develop restoration strategy

• Submit to EPA for Approval

• Develop Implementation Plan

LA(s) + WLA(s) + Margin of Safety + Reserve Capacity =

Total Maximum Daily Load

Where:LA = Load allocations from nonpoint sources

WLA = Waste load allocations from point sources

Margin of Safety = to account for potential scientific error

Reserve capacity = set aside for future development

Hg TMDL

• Creates No New Regulatory Authority

• Water Point Sources addressed in Water Quality Permits

• Air Emission Sources agree to meet commitments, without new permit authority

• Stakeholder Group

Main Objectives of the Implementation Plan

• Water – Total Point Source Discharge Goal remains below 24 lb/yr

• Air - Strategies for meeting MN share of air emission goal (789 lb/yr)

• Approximately 76% reduction in air emissions from 2005 levels

• Sector targets and timeframes

• How to address new air sources

• Acknowledgement that Hg emissions would fluctuate through 2025

Minnesota10%

Energy Production

25%

Product sector 43%

Mining32%

Sources of Atmospheric Deposition to Minnesota and Minnesota’s 2016 emission estimates

Natural Emissions

30%

GlobalEmissions

30%

Regional Emissions

40%

What is being done to reduce mercury?

• Global reductions

• Regional reductions

• State reductions

Regional, National Reductions

• States with Statewide Mercury Reduction Plans• Minnesota (March 2007)

• Northeast Regional - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont (December 2007)

• New Jersey (June 1010)

• North Carolina ( October 2012)

• Florida (October 2013)

• Michigan (2013)

• South Dakota (2016)

• Rules from the EPA• Gold mining

• Lime kilns

• Chlor-alkali plants

• Mercury amalgam separators

MN Hg Rule

• Defines a mercury emission source

• Actual Hg emissions of 3 lbs a year or more

• Hg emissions inventory reporting and testing

• Reduction plans for some sources

• Incorporate federal performance standards for mercury

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Mercury reduction plans

Industrial Sector ReductionRequired

Plan Due Reduction Due

Metal Melting * June 2015 2018

Industrial Boilers gt 5 lbs 70% June 2015 2018

Other Sources 70% June 2015 2025

Ferrous Mining 72% December 2018 2025

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* Rule proposed an emissions rate of 35mg/ton of metal melted; comparable to a reduction of about 50% from today’s emissions rate.

Estimated Mercury Emissions in MN

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2005 2008 2011 2014 2018 2025

Mer

cury

Em

issi

on

s (p

ou

nd

s)

Largely resulting from the purposeful use of mercury

Incidental to material processing (mostly mining)

Incidental to energy production (mostly coal)

TMDL goal of 789 lb

Projected emissions

By Year 2025

3312

28432705

1274

1564

2131

Group Charge

Group Charge

Minnesota10%

Energy Production

25%

Product sector 43%

Mining32%

Sources of Atmospheric Deposition to Minnesota and Minnesota’s 2016 emission estimates

Natural Emissions

30%

GlobalEmissions

30%

Regional Emissions

40%

MPCA Mercury Emission Categories, 2016

Energy Production (358 lb....):

• coal burning (222 lb....)

• petroleum production (89 lb....)

• wood combustion (30 lb....)

Purposeful use / Mercury in Products (567 lb....):

• solid waste collection and transport (290 lb....)

• burn barrels (33 lb....)

• electric arc furnace, melting of iron scrap (64 lb....)

• dental preparations (15 lb....)

• cremation (95 lb....)

• municipal solid waste incineration (32 lb....)

Material Processing (450 lb....): mining (441 lb....)

Mercury in Products sector

Minnesota’s mercury reductions

• Product labeling

• Disposal bans:• Fluorescent lamps

• Mercury switches

• Demolition debris

• Product sales bans: • Mercury in cosmetics

• Toys and apparel

• thermometers

• Take back programs:• Measuring devices;

Manometers

• Mercury amalgam separators

• Dental Offices

• MOU

• Mercury Free Zone: • Clancy the mercury

sniffing dog

• Laboratory waste:• Minnesota’s

hospitals