September
19,
2003
Carlos
Diaz
Acting
Supervisor,
Puerto
Rico
Field
Office
U.
S.
Fish
and
Wildlife
Service
P.
O.
Box
491
Boqueron,
Puerto
Rico
00622
Eric
Hawk
Section
7
Coordinator
Southeast
Regional
Office
National
Marine
Fisheries
Service
9721
Executive
Center
Drive,
North
St.
Petersburg,
Florida
33702
RE:
Proposed
Rule,
Water
Quality
Standards
for
Puerto
Rico
Dear
Messrs.
Diaz
and
Hawk:

I
am
writing
to
initiate
consultation,
pursuant
to
Section
7
of
the
Endangered
Species
Act,
with
your
respective
agencies
on
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency's
(
EPA)
pending
action
to
promulgate
a
rule
to
establish
a
designated
use
and
applicable
water
quality
criteria
to
protect
primary
contact
recreation
for
the
following
coastal
embayments
in
the
Commonwealth
of
Puerto
Rico:
Mayaquez
Bay
(
from
Punta
Guanajibo
to
Punta
Algarrobo);
Yabucoa
Port;
Guayanilla
and
Tallaboa
Bays
(
from
Cayo
Parquera
to
Punta
Verraco);
Ponce
Port
(
from
Punta
Carenero
to
Punta
Cuchara)
and
San
Juan
Port
(
from
the
mouth
of
Rio
Bayamon
to
Punta
El
Morro),
as
well
as
for
all
coastal
waters
from
500
meters
seaward
to
a
maximum
of
3.0
nautical
miles
seaward
(
the
coastal
ring).
If
the
proposal
is
promulgated
as
final,
the
Federal
designated
use
for
primary
contact
recreation
and
applicable
water
quality
criteria
to
protect
that
use
will
be
added
to
the
Commonwealth's
designated
uses
for
the
above­
referenced
embayments
and
the
coastal
ring.
Towards
this
end,
enclosed
please
find
a
copy
of
the
current
draft
of
the
proposed
rule
and
background
for
its
promulgation.

Based
on
EPA's
review
of
the
proposed
rule,
we
have
determined
that
approval
of
this
rule
to
establish
a
designated
use
of
primary
contact
recreation
and
it's
applicable
water
quality
criteria
to
protect
that
use
is
not
likely
to
adversely
affect
federally­
listed
species.
I
would
greatly
appreciate
receiving
any
comments
you
may
have
on
our
preliminary
determination
and
the
proposed
rule
by
Oct.
15,
2003.

In
the
interim,
should
you
have
any
questions,
or
need
additional
information,
please
feel
free
to
contact
Lingard
Knutson,
Endangered
Species
Coordinator
at
(
212)
637­
3747,
or
Wayne
Jackson
at
(
212)
637­
3807.
Sincerely
yours,

Robert
W.
Hargrove,
Chief
Strategic
Planning
&
Multi­
Media
Programs
Branch
Enclosures
bcc:
M.
DelVicario
W.
Jackson
A.
Inglesias
Saved
as:
G:\
user......\
spm\
knutson\
esa\
prswqsrule.
wpd
Save
to:
G:\
user...\
spm\
ersfinal\
esa\
pr\
prswqsrule.
wpd
Prepared
by:
Knutson
x
3747
