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Cold/Coolwater Advisory Committee
Meeting #1
• Welcome and Introductions
• Please sign-in
• Housekeeping Items
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Use Class Redesignation
A brief history
• MDE previously had a policy that could
independently use one type of data (e.g. biological,
temperature) to redesignate a stream from Class I
warmwater to Class III coldwater.
• In light of EPA direction and concern over
attainability of water quality criteria, MDE
reconsidered this policy and now requires both the
use (trout) and water quality (temperature, DO) to be
met for redesignation
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Background
• MDE was made aware of streams with
cold/coolwater aquatic species but which are not
designated as Class III or Class IV in Maryland’s
water quality standards (list provided)
• Some of these streams had both coldwater species
and temperature data while others lacked one or the
other
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Background
• MDE recognized that it needed a formalized policy
for dealing with these variety of stream scenarios
• Need to re-evaluate Maryland’s Designated Use
Classification System
• Develop a process for determining what uses are
attainable.
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General Plan for the Committee
• Monthly meetings with limited attendees (by invite only) to keep group manageable
• Webinar listening/recording capability
• Work according to deadlines in the handout
• What we ask of Committee Members – Between meetings, discuss information amongst the
group/organization you are representing, gathering perspectives to bring back
– Come to meetings prepared and ready to engage
– Have an alternate up-to-speed in case you cannot attend a given meeting
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Ground Rules
• Everyone will get a chance to provide input.
• Please be respectful of other Committee members.
• Tim and I will co-facilitate so as to keep to the
agenda, so please don’t be offended if we have to
move on to the next subject.
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Water Quality Standards and Existing Use
Primer
Matt Stover and Timothy Fox
Cold/Cool Water Advisory Committee Meeting #1
April 20, 2018
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Presentation Overview
• Clean Water Act
• Water Quality Standards
– Designated Uses
– Water Quality Criteria
– Antidegradation policy
• Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards
• Existing Uses
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Clean Water Act
• Objective: “restore and maintain the chemical,
physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s
waters”
USEPA (2009)
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Clean Water Act (cont.)
• Relevant sections of CWA:
– Section 301: Technology Based Effluent Limits
– Section 302: Water Quality Based Effluent Limits
– Section 303: Water Quality Standards and
Implementation
– Section 305: Water Quality Inventory
– Section 316: Thermal Discharge
– Section 402: Point Source Permitting (NPDES)
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Clean Water Act (cont.)
• Role of States and Authorized Tribes
– Have the Primary authority to adopt, review and revise
water quality standards (Section 303(c))
– May adopt standards more stringent than
recommended by EPA
– May certify Federal licensed activities that result in
discharge to waters of the US (section 401)
USEPA (2009)
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Water Quality Standards (WQS)
• Role of States and Authorized Tribes regarding WQS
– Establish water quality goals and targets for a water body
– WQS are used to determine attainment and non-attainment
• (impaired or not impaired)
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Water Quality Standards
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Designated Uses
• Jargon definition: “Those uses specified in state or tribal water quality standards regulations for each water body or segment whether or not they are being attained”
• In other words: “A concise statement of management objectives and exceptions for each of the individual surface waters under state/tribal jurisdiction”
• Designated Uses set goals for a specific water body
• Important! The goal of Water Quality Standards is to restore water quality, Designated Uses must be assigned appropriately to be attainable
USEPA (2009)
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Designated Uses and Maryland’s Use
Classifications
Designated Uses (examples)
• Aquatic Life
• Fishing
• Swimming
• Secondary Water Contact
• Drinking water
Maryland’s Use Classifications (groupings of designated uses refined for types of water)
• Use Class I: Water Contact recreation, and protection of nontidal warmwater aquatic life
• Use Class II: Support of estuarine and marine aquatic life and shellfish harvesting
• Use Class III: Nontidal Cold Water
• Use Class IV: Recreational trout waters
• p subcategory indicates drinking water use class
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The Existing Uses
• CWA (40 CFR 131.3) defines existing uses as “…those uses actually attained in the water body on or after November 28, 1975, whether or not they are included in the water quality standards”
• Made on a site-specific basis and can be expressed in very specific terms
• Existing uses serve as baseline or “floor” of water quality
• According to EPA, existing uses are not generally adopted into state/tribal law.
• They can be the same as the designated use for a water body or they can be lower or better than the designated use for a water body
USEPA (2008)
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Existing Uses – An Illustration
Stream Characteristics
Designated Use Class III
Existing Use #1
Existing Use #2
Designated Use Class I
Existing Use #1: Represents an impaired warmwater stream
Existing Use #2: Represents a stream with naturally reproducing coldwater species
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Are Existing Uses Protected?
• CWA (40 CRF 131.12(a)) states “at a minimum…(1)
Existing instream water uses and the level of water
quality necessary to protect the existing uses shall be
maintained and protected.”
• Maryland’s water quality standards (COMAR
26.08.02.04) echo the CWA stating “Waters of this
State shall be protected and maintained for existing
uses and the basic uses of water …”
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Differences between Designated and
Existing Uses
Designated Uses Existing Uses
- adopted into State law - not generally adopted into
State law
- expressed in a more
standardized fashion to reflect
water quality goal
- can be expressed more
specifically than a designated
use to reflect the degree of use
attained
- focuses on the attainable
condition
- focuses on the highest
condition attained since 1975
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Water Quality Criteria
• A concentration, level, or a narrative statement that
represents a level of water quality that supports a
particular designated use
• When criteria are being met, it implies that the
associated Designated Use if being attained
• Important: when a Designated Use of a particular
water body changes, associated Water Quality
Criteria change!
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Difference in Criteria Between Use
Classifications
Primary Differences in Water Quality Criteria
Use
Classification Description Dissolved Oxygen
Water
Temperature
I Warmwater Aquatic Life 5mg/L 90°F or ambient
II
Estuarine and Marine Aquatic Life
including shellfish Unique to each water segment 90°F or ambient
III Nontidal Coldwater
minimum daily average ≥6mg/l and 5mg/L
at any time 68°F or ambient
IV Recreational Trout Waters 5mg/L 75°F or ambient
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Water Quality Criteria (cont.)
• Water Quality
Criteria are used for:
– Calculating
discharge limits for
NPDES permits
– Identifying water
bodies that are not
attaining the
Designated Use
– Setting WLAs in
TMDLs
• Examples of Water
Quality Criteria:
– Lead concentration
limit
– PCB fish tissue limit
– Biological Data
– pH
– Temperature
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Antidegradation Policy
• Maryland’s Antidegradation policy is focused on
protecting waterbodies that are achieving a “higher”
water quality standard
• These high quality streams are identified though a
narrative interpretation of a the Maryland Biological
Stream indices
• High Quality Streams are classified as Tier II streams
– Project that may impact Tier II streams may be subject to a
Tier II review
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Triennial Review of Water Quality
Standards
• States and authorized tribes are required under the Clean Water Act to review and , if necessary, revise their water quality standards once every three years (referred to as the Triennial Review)
• This is the process for how MD makes regulatory changes to designated uses, criteria, and antidegradation regs.
• Revised standards must be approved by EPA
– Consults with USFWS and NMFS
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Questions
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Works Cited
• USEPA. Water Quality Standards Academy, Basic Course. EPA-823-B-00-005.
December 2009
• USEPA. Letter from Denise Keehner (Director of the USEPA Standards and Health
Protection Division) to Mr. Derek Smithee (State of Oklahoma Water Resources
Board) dated September 5th 2008. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/wqs-
tech/reference-library-water-quality-standards-policy-and-guidance-documents.
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Major Goals for this advisory committee
(handout)
• Develop Policy for protecting cold/coolwater existing
uses in advance of changing the use classification
• Explore the development of a new Designated Use
Classification
• Re-evaluate Class IV Recreational Trout Waters
designation
• Develop a process for conducting a Use Attainability
Analysis (UAA)
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Task 1
Develop MDE policy for protecting streams with
cold or coolwater species in advance of changing
the use classification.
• Will provide more timely communication of
important information with various authorities and
stakeholders
• Clarify the process for all parties involved
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Management scenarios
• Stream A
– Reproducing trout population or cold water obligate benthic
species present
– Data available showing that stream meets Use Class III
temperature and DO criteria
– Result: Stream re-designated to Use Class III during
subsequent Triennial Review
– Question: But what actions should be taken in the
interim to protect resources?
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Management scenarios
• Stream B
– Reproducing trout population or cold water obligate benthic
species present
– Temperature data show that stream does not meet Class III
coldwater criteria
– Question: What actions should be taken to protect
resources?
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Management scenarios
• Stream C
– Reproducing trout population or cold water obligate benthic
species present
– No temperature data available
– Question: What actions should be taken to protect
resources?
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Major Items for Discussion
• Notification Procedures – the who, what, when, and how
• Materials to be provided
– Mapping
– website
• Spatial Scale
• Protection Mechanisms
– Permits
– Timing – along the permitting process
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