The memos below establish the importance of reducing nutrient pollution through the adoption of numeric nutrient criteria into water quality standards. These provide guidance to states and authorized tribes on how to develop and adopt criteria, establish EPA’s expectations on timeframes, and describe the types of EPA assistance available during the process.

• Nutrient Pollution and Numeric Water Quality Standards (May 2007 EPA Memo) (PDF)(8 pp, 132 K)
• Development and Adoption of Nutrient Criteria into Water Quality Standards (November 2001 EPA Memo) (PDF)(21 pp, 77 K)