Resources: Water Quality Standards (WQS)

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Helpful Water Quality Standards Web pages

• EPA Water Quality Standards
• Current National Recommended Water Quality Criteria
• Funding for Tribal Water Quality Program Development
• State, Tribal, and Territorial Standards
• Tribes: Water Quality Standards and Criteria
• Water Quality Criteria Home
• WQS Regulations, Laws, and Guidance Affecting Tribes
• WQS Training, Meetings, and Educational Materials
• Water Quality Criteria for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution

Helpful Water Quality Standards Documents/Guidance

• Draft: Developing Water Quality Criteria for suspended and bedded sediments (SABs): Potential Approaches
• Ecoregional Nutrient Criteria Documents for Lakes and Reservoirs
  
• Ecoregional Nutrient Criteria Documents for Rivers and Streams
• Compilation of Mixing Zone Documents
  (EPA 823-R-06-003, July 2006)
• Bacterial Water Quality Standards for Recreational Waters (Freshwater and Marine Waters)
  (EPA 823-R-03-008, June 2003)
• Draft: Implementation Guidance for Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Bacteria, May 2002
  (EPA 823-B-02-003, May 2002)
• How Water Quality Standards Protect Tribal Waters
  (EPA 823-B-02-002, February 2002)
• Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Estuarine and Coastal Marine Waters
  (EPA 822-B-01-003, October 2001)
• Methodology for Deriving Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health (2000)
  (EPA 822-B-00-004, October 2000)
• Methodology for Deriving Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health (2000), Technical Support Document, Volume 1: Risk Assessment
  (EPA 822-B-00-005, October 2000)
• Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams
  (EPA 822-B-00-002, July 2000)
• Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs, First Edition (PDF) (232 pp, 3.73MB)
  (EPA 822-B-00-001, April 2000)
• Introduction to Water Quality Standards (PDF) (41 pp, 1.83MB)
  (EPA 823-F-99-020, October 1999)
• Developing Criteria to Protect Our Nation's Waters
  (EPA 823-F-98-002, 1998)
• Water Quality Standards Handbook: Second Edition
  (EPA 823-B-94-005, August 1994)