Basic Course: Supplemental Topics (h)

Program Elements: Conveying Results

The CWA requires that States/Tribes report to EPA on a regular basis about the status of water quality in their respective jurisdictions. The State/Tribe’s monitoring and assessment program should be designed to provide the information needed to comply with these requirements. Key reporting requirements are:

• Section 305(b) water quality inventory report.
• Section 303(d) list identifying all impaired waters.

EPA encourages States/Tribes to provide their 305(b) and 303(d) submissions as an “integrated report.” Using the Integrated Report option to submit this information every 2 years satisfies the requirements for both of these sections of the CWA. The submission must be made by April 1 of all even-numbered years.

States report their assessment findings to EPA via the Assessment Database that allows EPA to summarize the States’ water quality and report to Congress and the public.

Resource. This information may be viewed in EPA’s Assessment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS).

Resources. For more on reporting requirements for Section 303(d) lists, see the Supplemental Topics Module of this online training on Listing Impaired Waters for Section 303(d) lists and Developing TMDLs. For more on the Integrated Report, including the recommended reporting format, see the EPA memo on Information Concerning 2010 Clean Water Act Sections 303(d), 305(b), and 314 Integrated Reporting and Listing Decisions PDF. (11 pp, 122K, About PDF).

Key Point. It is also important that States/Tribes convey information on water quality to the public and other stakeholders. Depending on a particular audience’s interest, formats and media to consider can include technical reports, brochures, posters, oral presentations, newspaper articles, and web postings.