Texas Surface Water Quality Standards Update

1. Texas Surface Water Quality Standards Update Debbie Miller Water Quality Standards Group Monitoring and Assessment Section

2. 2010 EPA Action • EPA Action Letters • June 29, 2011 • August 24, 2012 • July 2, 2013 • Action letters posted on TCEQ Website • Highlighted 2010 rule indicates status of approval

3. Types of Actions • Approved- available for use in all Clean Water Act (CWA) activities – permitting, assessment, TMDL… • Conditional approval - subject to completion of consultation with USFWS under Endangered Species Act • Disapproved - not available for use in CWA activities • No action - not considered water quality standards under the CWA • Under review

4. Approvals • Human Health Criteria (all proposed except mercury) • Aquatic Life Criteria • Bacteria • Recreation use criteria categories • Removal of single sample • Procedures to assign presumed PCR and SCR1 uses (unclassified waters) • Appendix G (Site-specific contact recreation criteria) • Appendix B (Sole source surface drinking water supplies) • Appendix C (Segment descriptions) • Appendix E (Site-specific toxic criteria)

5. Approvals • §307.1 (General policy statement) • §307.2 (Description of standards) • §307.3 (Definitions and abbreviations)* • §307.4 (General criteria) • §307.5 (Antidegradation) • §307.6 (Toxic materials) *,+ • §307.7 (Site-specific uses and criteria)* • §307.8 (Application of standards)* • §307.9 (Determination of standards attainment)*,+ *No action on some of provisions +EPA disapproval on some provisions

6. Conditional Approval Approval subject to consultation with USFWS • Approvals of some site-specific criteria in Appendices A, D, E, F • Approval of some segment boundaries in Appendix C • Toxic Aquatic Life Criteria – Table 1 • Critical low-flows of streams and rivers dominated by spring flow • Attainment of dissolved minerals at stream flows < 0.1 CFS

7. Disapprovals • Mercury human health criterion (Table 2, §307.6) • Deferred aquatic life listings (§307.9) • High flow exemption for bacteria (§307.9) • Appendix A: North Sulphur River, Oso Bay, Laguna Madre • Appendix D: Lavaca River • Appendix F: Partial disapproval

8. No Action – EPA Considerations What is/is not a water quality standard under CWA 303(c)(3)? • Is it legally binding according to state law? • Does it address designated uses, criteria (narrative and numeric) or anti-degradation? • Does it establish a desired level of condition or protection? • Is it a new or revised standard?

9. No Action – 2010 WQS • §307.3 – definition of “surface water in the state” • Portions of §307.6(e) – biomonitoring and TREs • Portions of §307.7 – use of USDA action levels to determine acceptable toxic concentrations in shellfish • Portions of §307.8 – MALs, once-through cooling waters and storm water dischargers • Portions of §307.9 - assessment procedures

10. Still Under Review EPA has acted upon vast majority of revisions from 2010! • Appendix A • Temperature criteria for 3 segments • Two in the Guadalupe Basin • One in Cypress Creek Basin • Dissolved minerals criteria for 19 segments

11. Contact Information Debbie Miller Debbie.Miller@tceq.texas.gov (512) 239-1703 Email general questions to: Standards@tceq.texas.gov