1. (a) Special criteria. The special provisions in this section apply for the Great Lakes System, which includes the streams, rivers, lakes and other bodies of surface water within the drainage basin of the Great Lakes in this Commonwealth.

2. (b) Water quality criteria for the Great Lakes System. Human health and aquatic life criteria for the Great Lakes System are contained in Table 6 (relating to Great Lakes aquatic life and human health criteria). For any pollutant not listed in the table, criteria in Table 5 (relating to water quality criteria for toxic substances) may be used to protect existing and designated uses, or criteria will be developed by the Department, as needed, in accordance with this chapter and § 16.61 (relating to special provisions for the Great Lakes System).

   1. (1) One-hour average for criteria maximum concentrations.

   2. (2) Four-day average for criteria continuous concentrations.

      PP	Chemical Name	CAS Number	Fish and Aquatic Life Criteria	Human Health Criteria	Notes
      NO	Criteria Continuous	Criteria Maximum
      		Concentration (µg/L)	Concentration (µg/L)	(µg/L)
      2M	Arsenic	7440382	148 (As3+)	340 (As3+)	N/A	3
      4M	Cadmium	7440439	{1.101672-(ln[H]x0.041838)}x Exp(0.7852xln[H]-2.715)	{1.136672-(ln[H]x0.041838)}x Exp(1.128xln[H]-3.6867)	N/A	3
      (ex: @H=100, CCC=2.24)	(ex: @H=100, CMC=4.26)
      5M	Chromium, III	16065831	0.860xExp(0.819xln[H]+0.6848)	0.316xExp(0.819xln[H]+3.7256)	N/A	3
      			(ex: @H=100, CCC=74)	(ex: @H=100, CMC=570)
      5M	Chromium, VI	18540299	10.56	15.73	N/A	3
      6M	Copper	7440508	0.960xExp(0.8545xln[H]-1.702)	(0.960xExp(0.9422xln[H]-1.700)	N/A	3
      			(ex: @H=100, CCC=8.96)	(ex: @H=100, CMC=13.44)
      8M	Mercury	7439976	0.77	1.44	0.0031	2,3
      9M	Nickel	7440020	0.997xExp(0.846xln[H]+0.0584)	0.998xExp(0.846xln[H]+2.255)	N/A	2,3
      			(ex: @H=100, CCC=52.01)	(ex: @H=100, CMC=468.24)
      10M	Selenium	7782492	4.61	N/A	N/A	3
      13M	Zinc	7440666	0.986xExp(0.8473xln[H]+0.884)	0.978xExp(0.8473xln[H]+0.884)	N/A	3
      			(ex: @H=100, CCC=118.14)	(ex: @H=100, CMC=117.18)
      14M	Cyanide, Free	57125	5.2	22	600	2
      3A	2,4-Dimethyl-phenol	105679	N/A	N/A	450	2
      5A	2,4-Dinitro-phenol	51285	N/A	N/A	55	2
      9A	Pentachlorophenol	87865	Exp(1.005[pH]-5.134)	Exp(1.005[pH]-4.869)	N/A	-
      			@pH=6.5 7.8 9.0	@pH=6.5 7.8 9.0
      			Crit=4.05 14.95 49.95	Crit=5.28 19.49 65.10
      3V	Benzene	71432	N/A	N/A	1.2	1
      7V	Chloro-benzene	108907	N/A	N/A	470	2
      22V	Methylene Chloride	75092	N/A	N/A	4.7	1
      25V	Toluene	108883	N/A	N/A	5600	2
      29V	Trichloro-ethylene	79016	N/A	N/A	2.9	1
      33B	Hexachloro-benzene	118741	N/A	N/A	0.000045	1
      36B	Hexachloro-ethane	67721	N/A	N/A	0.53	1
      4P	gamma-BHC (Lindane)	58899	N/A	0.95	0.47	2
      6P	Chlordane	57749	N/A	N/A	0.000025	1
      7P	4,4-DDT	50293	N/A	N/A	0.000015	1
      10P	Dieldrin	60571	0.056	0.24	0.00000065	1
      14P	Endrin	72208	0.036	0.086	N/A	-
      18P	PCBs		N/A	N/A	0.00000039	1
      25P	Toxaphene	8001352	N/A	N/A	0.0000068	1
      PP	2,3,7,8-TCDD	1746016	N/A	N/A	8.6 E-10	1
      —	Parathion	56382	0.013	0.065	N/A	-

      ¹ Indicates a human health criterion based on a cancer potency factor and cancer risk level at 1 x 10^-6 (CRL); where no cancer potency factor exists, the human health criterion is based on threshold toxicity data plus additional safety factors.

      ² Indicates a human health criterion based on threshold effect (H).

      ³ Indicates dissolved aquatic life criterion; others are total recoverable. Each listed dissolved criterion in Table 6 is equal to the corresponding total recoverable criterion before rounding (from the EPA National Ambient Water Quality Criteria Documents) multiplied by the conversion factor (from the Conversion Factors Table); a criterion that is expressed as a hardness (H)-based equation is shown in Table 6 as the conversion factor (listed) multiplied by the hardness criterion equation; an example criterion at hardness=100mg/L is included.

      CAS—Chemical Abstract Service number

      ln[H]—Natural Logarithm of the Hardness of stream as mg/l CaCO₃

      µg/L—Micrograms per liter

      N/A—Criterion not developed

      PP NO—Priority Pollutant Number

   (b.1) Unless a different duration is indicated by the Notes in Table 6, the aquatic life criteria in Table 6 have the following duration periods:

3. (c) Wildlife criteria. Wildlife criteria will be developed for the bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCCs) in the Great Lakes System using methodologies contained in the Great Lakes guidance in 40 CFR Part 132, Appendix D (relating to Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative methodology for the development of wildlife criteria). The wildlife criteria are contained in the following table:

TABLE 6

GREAT LAKES AQUATIC LIFE AND HUMAN HEALTH CRITERIA

Acronyms and Notes to Table 6

GREAT LAKES WILDLIFE CRITERIA

TABLE 7 PP Chemical Criterion NO Name (ug/L) 7-9P DDT & METABOLITES 0.000011 8M MERCURY 0.0013 18-24P PCBs (TOTAL) 0.00012 PP 2,3,7,8-TCDD 3.1 E-9

Authority

The provisions of this § 93.8e amended under sections 5(b)(1) and 402 of The Clean Streams Law (35 P.S. § § 691.5(b)(1) and 691.402); and section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. § 510-20).

Source

The provisions of this § 93.8e adopted May 15, 2009, effective May 16, 2009, 39 Pa.B. 2523; amended July 10, 2020, effective July 11, 2020, 50 Pa.B. 3426; amended December 19, 2025, effective December 20, 2025, 55 Pa.B. 8596. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (424417) to (424420).

Cross References

This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 61.51 (relating to human health and aquatic life criteria); 25 Pa. Code § 16.61 (relating to special provisions for the Great Lakes system); and 25 Pa. Code § 93.8c (relating to human health and aquatic life criteria for toxic substances).