Is the water clean or dirty? Is it safe to swim in your favorite swimming hole? Can you eat the fish that you catch?
We all want to know the answers to these important questions. In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters”. The Clean Water Act establishes a framework for measuring and evaluating water quality throughout the country: states establish water quality standards for all their waters, water quality is monitored and evaluated relative to the standards, and at regular intervals the results are reported to the public and to EPA.
Water quality standards have three components – designated uses, water quality criteria and antidegradation. Designated uses specify how the community wants to use the waterbody – is the river used for drinking water? for canoeing? for agriculture? for fishing and swimming? (The Clean Water Act specifies that all waters must be swimmable and fishable). Water quality criteria are descriptions of the chemical, physical and biological conditions that need to be met in order for the use to be allowed. Waters that meet their criteria or support their uses are said to “support their uses”, waters that do not meet their criteria or support their uses are said to be “impaired” and must be improved. Antidegredation policies provide a framework for protecting water quality once goals are reached and for protecting the quality of waters that already meet their standards.
Click here for Rhode Island water quality classifications
Click here for Massachusetts water quality classifications
States are responsible for monitoring water quality and determining if the water quality standards are being met. These assessments are reported to the public and to EPA every other year.
In Rhode Island, the report is called the Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report and will be available soon at the DEM web site. Past assessments can be viewed at Section 305 b State of the State’s Waters Reports.
To view the Massachusetts 2006 305 b report click here.
The Massachusetts Environmental Progress Report 2007, Surface and Groundwater
If the monitoring and assessment indicates that a waterbody is not meeting its water quality standards, then that water is considered "impaired" and the state is required to develop a strategy that will lead to attainment of the water quality standards. These studies are called Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs.
Click here to view Rhode Island TMDL studies.
Click here to view Massachusetts TMDL studies.
Click here to learn more about EPA’s on-line Watershed Academy and an introduction to the Clean Water Act.
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