Publication Summary

This is the Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Total Maximum Daily Load Study for PCBs in the Spokane River.

PCBs in fish from the Spokane River have been documented at concentrations well above the National Toxics Rule criterion and are currently at levels high enough to warrant consumption advisories for parts of the river. Although there is an abundance of data on PCBs in Spokane River fish, there has not been a recent analysis of PCB loading and dynamics in the river. There also has yet to be an examination of PCB accumulation pathways in fish.

This Quality Assurance Project Plan describes the sampling and analysis required to adequately assess PCB loading, dynamics, and accumulation pathways in the Spokane River. Sampling will be done to assess PCB concentrations in industrial effluent, stormwater, whole surface water, dissolved and particulate phases of surface water, surficial bottom sediments, sediment cores, whole fish, fish fillet, and gut contents from two species of fish. The data obtained will be used to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for PCBs. The goal of the TMDL and the ensuing water cleanup plan is to meet the National Toxics Rule criteria in Spokane River fish tissue.

Link to EIM data for User Study ID RJAC004