Oregon Water Quality Standards
Regional Water Quality Standards Information
WQS Home
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Recent Actions and Request for Comments in Oregon
Oregon Water Quality Standards
Contacts
| Oregon Department of Environmental Quality |  | U.S. EPA, Region 10 |
Executive Building
811 S.W. Sixth Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
Fax: (503) 229-5408
Debra Sturdevant, sturdevant.debra@deq.state.or.us,
(503) 229-6691 | | 1200 Sixth Ave Suite 900
Seattle, WA 98101
Fax (206) 553-0165
Dru Keenan, keenan.dru@epa.gov
(206) 553-1219 |
Recent Actions and Request for Comments in Oregon
Oregon Fish Consumption Rate Project
EPA issued new marine bacteria criteria for for several coastal and Great Lakes States, including Alaska and Oregon under the Beaches Act on November 8. One exception provided in the criteria addresses an issue of concern raised by Alaska - non-human caused bacteria. The criteria do not apply if a sanitary survey shows that sources of the indicator bacteria are non-human and an epidemiological study shows that the indicator densities are not indicative of a human health risk. The new criteria apply concurrently with any ambient recreational water criteria adopted by the State (and approved by EPA). Background info, fact sheets, frequently asked questions etc. are on EPA's Beaches web site.
EPA approved new or revised Oregon Water Quality Standards for Temperature, Inter-Gravel Dissolved Oxygen and Antidegradation in accordance with the Clean Water Act on March 2, 2004.
What are Water Quality Standards (WQS)?
Water quality standards are the foundation of the water quality-based control program mandated by the Clean Water Act. Water Quality Standards define the goals for a waterbody by designating its uses, setting criteria to protect those uses, and establishing provisions to protect water quality from pollutants.
A water quality standard consists of four basic elements:
- designated uses of the water body (e.g., recreation, water supply, aquatic life, agriculture),
- water quality criteria to protect designated uses (numeric pollutant concentrations and narrative requirements),
- an antidegradation policy to maintain and protect existing uses and high quality waters, and
- general policies addressing implementation issues (e.g., low flows, variances, mixing zones).