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Water Quality Standards

• Water Quality Standards Regulations: Pennsylvania

• Water Quality Standards (PDF) (260 pp, 706 K)

Designated Aquatic Life Uses
Pennsylvania’s WQS establishes 3 primary aquatic life use designations, based on the following considerations:

#1 The maintenance and propagation of fish species and additional flora and fauna that are indigenous to either a warm water or cold water habitat.

#2 The maintenance of stocked trout during mid-February through July. This use applies to waters designated as warm water habitat and that are stocked by the state. From August up to mid-February, the aquatic life use reverts to the maintenance and propagation of fish species and additional flora and fauna that are indigenous to warm water habitat.

#3 Protect, where and if applicable, the passage, maintenance and propagation of anadromous and catadromous fishes and other fishes which move to or from flowing waters to complete their life cycle in other waters.

These specific aquatic life designated uses are listed and are identified, for each waterbody of the Commonwealth, in the tables in §§ 93.9a – 93.9z; Drainage Lists A – Z.

• CWF Cold Water Fishes—Maintenance or propagation, or both, of fish species including the family Salmonidae and additional flora and fauna which are indigenous to a cold water habitat.
• WWF Warm Water Fishes—Maintenance and propagation of fish species and additional flora and fauna which are indigenous to a warm water habitat.
• TSF Trout Stocking—Maintenance of stocked trout from February 15 to July 31 and maintenance and propagation of fish species and additional flora and fauna which are indigenous to a warm water habitat.
• MF Migratory Fishes—Passage, maintenance and propagation of anadromous and catadromous fishes and other fishes which move to or from flowing waters to complete their life cycle in other waters.

Biological Criteria
__X__ Narrative statement
__X__ Numeric
_____ No criteria

• Narrative Biocriteria
  • § 93.3.  Protected water uses
  • § 93.4c. Implementation of antidegradation requirements.
    • § 93.4c(a)(2). Existing use protection. Endangered or threatened species.
• Numeric Biocriteria
  • § 93.4b. Qualifying as High Quality or Exceptional Value Waters
    • Establishes specific biological assessment qualifiers for Special Protection Waters. Refer to details in Antidegradation Policy.

Water Quality Standards (PDF) (260 pp, 706 K)

Antidegradation Policy
§ 93.4b. Qualifying as High Quality or Exceptional Value Waters.

1. Qualifying as a High Quality Water. A surface water that meets one or more of the following conditions is a High Quality Water.
   2. Biology. One or more of the following shall exist:
      1. Biological assessment qualifier.
         1. The surface water supports a high quality aquatic community based upon information gathered using peer-reviewed biological assessment procedures that consider physical habitat, benthic macroinvertebrates or fishes based on Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Rivers: Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish, Plafkin, et al., (EPA 444/4-89-001), as updated and amended. The surface water is compared to a reference stream or watershed, and an integrated benthic macroinvertebrate score of at least 83% shall be attained by the referenced stream or watershed.
         2. The surface water supports a high quality aquatic community based upon information gathered using other widely accepted and published peer-reviewed biological assessment procedures that the Department may approve to determine the condition of the aquatic community of a surface water.
         3. The Department may consider additional biological information which characterizes or indicates the quality of a water in making its determination.
      2. Class A wild trout stream qualifier. The surface water has been designated a Class A wild trout stream by the Fish and Boat Commission following public notice and comment.
2. Qualifying as an Exceptional Value Water. A surface water that meets one or more of the following conditions is an Exceptional Value Water:
   1. The water meets the requirements of subsection (a) and one or more of the following:
      1. The water is located in a National wildlife refuge or a State game propagation and protection area.
      2. The water is located in a designated State park natural area or State forest natural area, National natural landmark, Federal or State wild river, Federal wilderness area or National recreational area.
      3. The water is an outstanding National, State, regional or local resource water.
      4. The water is a surface water of exceptional recreational significance.
      5. The water achieves a score of at least 92% (or its equivalent) using the methods and procedures described in subsection (a)(2)(i)(A) or (B).
      6. The water is designated as a ‘‘wilderness trout stream’’ by the Fish and Boat Commission following public notice and comment.
   2. The water is a surface water of exceptional ecological significance.

Technical reference material:
Water Quality Antidegradation Implementation Guidance (PDF) (137 pp, 685 K) (Page 29 and Appendix A-Section 4)

Biological Assessment

What biological assemblages used in the bioassessment program?
Benthic macroinvertebrates; fish IBI currently under development. 

Are bioassessments used to support 303(d) listings?
Yes. Listing methodology: DEP Assessment Methodology

How are assemblages used to make impairment decisions?
Use of the benthos is the primary assessment tool. Chemistry and habitat evaluations are used in conjunction with benthos when available.

Other uses of biocriteria or bioassessment within the water quality program:
Refining ALU, TMDL development and assessment, antidegradation, non-point source assessments, BMP evaluation, and 305(b) surface water condition assessments.

Technical Support Information and Documents:

Reference condition:
This project defines a reference condition based on a population of sites exhibiting biological integrity from across Pennsylvania to which sites of unknown biological integrity can be compared (Hughes et. al., 1995). This population-based approach to defining reference conditions provides comparability of samples for sites across the state from similar types of water bodies (i.e., wadeable, freestone, riffle-run streams) and promotes efficient use of limited public resources for monitoring and assessment of aquatic resources.

For this project, a suite of abiotic parameters comprised of watershed land uses, physical habitat evaluations, abandoned mine land prevalence, upstream ALU impairments, and water chemistry was used to determine relative anthropogenic impacts at each site and to define reference conditions. Initial site condition categories were assigned with a site condition index calculated from metrics of upstream land use, physical habitat evaluations, abandoned mine land prevalence, and upstream ALU impairments.

Technical reference material:
Macroinvertebrate Stream Protocols (PDF) (154 pp, 5 MB)

Biocriteria:
Development of biocriteria involves the collection and interpretation of biological data –e.g. benthic macroinvertebrates, fish, and periphyton. During this process entities typically use biological metrics (usually aggregated into a multimetric index) and/or multivariate analysis to assess whether a waterbody is meeting its designated aquatic life use(s). The reference materials included include standard operation procedures used in data collection, compilation, technical approaches used to develop biocriteria as well as its implementation procedures.

• Data Collection Protocols
• DEP Assessment Methods

Stressor identification/causal analysis approach:
The stressor identification/causal analysis process is informal and is partially incorporated in the assessment decision flow chart in the Freestone Benthic IBI.

Technical reference material:
Assessment Methodology for Rivers and Streams (PDF)(198 pp, 2 MB)

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