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Recreational Water Quality Criteria
Designed to protect swimmers from illnesses due to exposure to pathogens in recreational waters, the existing criteria are more than 20 years old. Since then, scientists have learned much about molecular biology, virology, and analytical chemistry. This new information will help us build a stronger scientific foundation for up-to-date recreational water quality criteria.
EPA's March 2007 Experts Scientific Workshop was a forum for discussion of critical research and science needs for developing new or revised recreational ambient water quality criteria in the near-term. The Report of the Experts Scientific Workshop (EPA 823-R-07-006) summarizes the discussion of the scientific and technical panels.
The Critical Path Science Plan (August 2007) describes the high priority research and science that EPA intends to conduct to establish the scientific foundation for the development of new or revised recreational water quality criteria recommendations. The Criteria Development Plan (August 2007) describes the process and timeline EPA intends to follow to develop and publish new or revised water quality criteria for pathogens and pathogen indicators.
At a multi-stakeholder meeting in February 2008, we updated stakeholders on our activities.
In August 2008, EPA and the plaintiffs reached a settlement on a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court for the Central District of California against EPA regarding EPA's failure to have met statutory deadlines in the Clean Water Act, as amended by the BEACH ACT, to conduct studies on pathogens and pathogen indicators in coastal recreational waters and publish water quality criteria recommendations based on those studies.
In April 2009, EPA announced the selection of sites for EPA conducted health studies to support development of new or revised recreational water quality criteria. These studies along with other research activities will allow EPA to build a strong scientific foundation for up-to-date recreational water criteria.