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23 <br />• <br />SUMMARY AND OPINION <br />The one thing that is certain about the Health Stand- <br />ards and Effluent Standards for water is that they will change. <br />Both can affect the effluent cleanup of a mining operation. <br />As Andrews (27) points out, if an effluent is connected to <br />a drinking water supply, then that effluent may have to meet <br />the drinking water standards or be of somewhat better quality <br />than is designated by the EPA effluent criteria. What follows <br />is opinion on how things will change. <br />On the matter of drinking water standards, new limits <br />are missing for CN and only recommended limits are set for <br />some constituents of secondary importance. New regulations <br />• may appear in the future that will set limits for these con- <br />stituents. Sodium and molybdenum are inorganic species which <br />are not on the list, and which may have limits set in the <br />future. Most of the changes in drinking water regulations <br />will occur for organic species rather than inorganic species. <br />On the matter of EPA effluent limitations, the course <br />which will be taken will closely follow that which has occurred <br />for automobile exhaust standards. That is, the EPA has <br />probably established strict interim standards so that they <br />can be relaxed in the future rather than make un unpopular <br />decision to tighten regulations. Currently, new relaxed <br />interim standards are being published for the mining and <br />milling industry. Also, the effective data for the final <br />BATEA limits has been extended from July 1, 1983 to July 1, <br />0 1984. However, in the end the BATEA limits will not change