Water > Surface Water

Surface water is all water that is naturally open to the atmosphere, such as lakes, rivers, seas and reservoirs. In addition to being an important source of drinking water and recreation, these waters are also vital parts of local and regional ecosystems. Surface water pollution can result from a number of sources, including dredging, stormwater runoff, ocean dumping and industrial wastewater discharges. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA sets and enforces total maximum daily loads for pollutants in assessed water bodies. The Agency also regulates dredging activities and ocean dumping sites and issues permits for stormwater sources.

Recommended EPA Web pages

Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
Features information on wetlands, oceans, coasts, estuaries, watersheds, tmdls, rivers, water quality, monitoring, polluted runoff.
Oceans, Coasts, and Estuaries
EPA protects coastal environments through a watershed approach and its regulatory and cooperative management programs.
Surface Water Contamination
A change in the water chemistry can negatively affect all levels of an ecosystem.

List more recommended EPA Surface Water web pages

Browse these EPA Surface Water subtopics

Aquatic Ecosystems
Coral Reefs, Estuaries, Freshwater Ecosystems, Lakes, Marine Ecosystems, Oceans, Rivers and Streams, Watersheds, Wetlands

Drinking Water
Drinking Water System, Protection

Ground Water
Discharge, Hydrogeology, Protection, Runoff, Wells

Storm Water
Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), Industrial Storm Water, Permits, Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), Wet Weather Programs

Check! Surface Water
Dumping, Marine Debris

Wastewater
Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs), Biosolids, Discharges, Effluent Guidelines, Effluents, Industrial Wastewater, Municipal Wastewater Treatment, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Permits, Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs), Standards, Treatment, Wastewater Systems

Water Infrastructure

Water Pollutants
Arsenic, Contaminated Sediment, Disinfection Byproducts, Dredged Material, Lead, Mercury, Microbial Pathogens

Water Pollution
Community Involvement, Cost Benefit Analysis, Data, Nonpoint Sources, Point Sources, Reporting, Testing, Transboundary Pollution

Water Pollution Control
Pretreatment, Remediation, Trading, Wastewater Treatment

Water Pollution Effects
Economic Effects, Environmental Effects, Health Effects

Water Pollution Legal Aspects
Compliance, Enforcement, Guidance, Legislation, Permits, Public Comment, Regulations, Standards, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Water Quality Monitoring
Bioassessment, Criteria, Health Advisories, Models, Standards