Water Quality Standards Handbook: Second Edition

EPA-823-B-94-005; August 1994 with some additional new information (June 2007)

The Water Quality Standards Handbook: Second Edition provides guidance issued in support of the Water Quality Standards Regulation (40 CFR 131, as amended). This Handbook includes the operative provisions of the first volume of the Handbook issued in 1983 and incorporates subsequent guidance issued since 1983. The 1994 Handbook contains only final guidance previously issued by EPA; it contains no new guidance.

EPA regional offices and States may have additional guidance that provides more detail on selected topics of regional interest. For information on regional or State guidance, contact the appropriate regional water quality standards coordinator.

In June of 2007, we created a Web version of the Handbook, taking the opportunity to add selected links and resources designed to aid the reader in finding additional information. These links were added only to the Web version. The text of the 1994 Handbook was not edited in any way.

We hope that this document will prove valuable by pulling together current program guidance and providing a coherent document as a foundation for state and tribal water quality standards programs. The Handbook also presents some of the evolving program concepts designed to reduce human and ecological risks, such as endangered species protection; criteria to protect wildlife, wetlands, and sediment quality; biological criteria to better define desired biological communities in aquatic ecosystems; and nutrient criteria.

This Handbook is intended to serve as a "living document," subject to future revisions as the water quality standards program moves forward, and to reflect the needs and experiences of EPA and the States.

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

• Glossary
• Introduction
• (Updated July 03, 2007) Chapter 1: General Provisions
• (Updated July 02, 2007) Chapter 2: Designation of Uses
• (Updated July 05, 2007) Chapter 3: Water Quality Criteria
• (Updated July 03, 2007) Chapter 4: Antidegradation
• (Updated July 02, 2007) Chapter 5: General Policies
• (Updated July 05, 2007) Chapter 6: Provision for Review and Revision of Water Quality Standards
• (Updated July 02, 2007) Chapter 7: The Water-Quality Based Approach to Pollution Control

The links below point to the print version of the 1994 version of the Handbook (2nd ed.). These sections have not been updated.

• Cover Page, Table of Contents, and Glossary (PDF) (17 pp, 1.0MB)
• Introduction (PDF) (17 pp, 1.4MB)
• Chapter 1: General Provisions (PDF) (21 pp, 2.0MB)
• Chapter 2: Designation of Uses (PDF) (29 pp, 2.5MB)
• Chapter 3: Water Quality Criteria (PDF) (46 pp, 4.2MB)
• Chapter 4: Antidegradation (PDF) (15 pp, 1.3MB)
• Chapter 5: General Policies (PDF) (13 pp, 1.2MB)
• Chapter 6: Provision for Review and Revision of Water Quality Standards (PDF) (15 pp, 1.2MB)
• Chapter 7: The Water-Quality Based Approach to Pollution Control (PDF) (14 pp, 1.2MB)
• References (PDF) (10 pp, 650K)
• Appendices
  • Appendix A: Water Quality Standards Regulation (PDF) (2.3MB)
  • Appendix B: Chronological Summary of Federal Water Quality Standards Promulgation Acts (PDF) (242K)
  • Appendix C: Biological Criteria: National Program Guidance for Surface Waters (PDF) (4.5MB)
  • Appendix D: National Guidance: National Quality Standards for Wetlands (PDF) (4.5MB)
  • Appendix E: An Approach for Evaluating Numeric Water Quality Criteria for Wetlands Protection (PDF) (2.9MB)
  • Appendix F: Coordination between the EPA, Fish & Wildlife Services and National Marine Fisheries Service (PDF) (886K)
  • Appendix G: Questions and Answers on Antidegradation (PDF) (1.3MB)
  • Appendix H: Derivation of the 1985 Aquatic Life Criteria (PDF) (1.5MB)
  • Appendix I: List of EPA Water Quality Criteria Documents (PDF) (224K)
  • Appendix J: Attachments of Office to Water Policy and Technical Guidance on Interpretation and Implementation of Aquatic Life Metals Criteria (PDF) (1.4MB)
  • Appendix K: Procedures for the Initiation of Narrative Biological Criteria (PDF) (1.1MB)
  • Appendix L: Interim Guidance on Determination and use of Water-Effect Ratios for Metals (PDF) (13.3MB)
  • Appendix M: Economic Guidance for Water Quality Standards
  • Appendix N: Integrated Risk Information System Background Paper (PDF) (1.0MB)
  • Appendix O: Reserved (PDF) (22K)
  • Appendix P: List of 126 CWA Section 307(a) Priority Toxic Pollutants (PDF) (150K)
  • Appendix Q: Wetlands and 401 Certification (PDF) (4.8MB)
  • Appendix R: Policy on the use of Biological Assessments and Criteria in the Water Quality Program (PDF) (1.1MB)
  • Appendix S: Reserved (PDF) (22K)
  • Appendix T: Use Attainability Analysis (PDF) (4.1MB)
  • Appendix U: List of EPA Regional Water Quality Standards Coordinators (PDF) (96K)
  • Appendix V: Water Quality Standards Program Document Request Forms (PDF) (984K)
  • Appendix W: Update Request Form for WQS Handbook: 2nd Edition (PDF) (99K)
  • Appendix X: Summary of Updates to 1994 Handbook (PDF) (2 pp, 23K) Changes referred to in Appendix X have already been incoroporated into the web version of the Handbook.

Note to the Reader

The Water Quality Standards Handbook, first issued in 1983, is a compilation of EPA's guidance on the water quality standards program and provides direction for States in reviewing, revising and implementing water quality standards. The Water Quality Standards Handbook: Second Edition retains all the guidance in the 1983 Handbook unless such guidance was specifically revised in subsequent years. An annotated list of the major guidance and policy documents on the water quality standards program issued since 1983 is included in the Introduction and material added to the Second Edition by periodic updates since 1993 is summarized in Appendix X. Material in the Handbook contains only guidance previously issued by EPA; it contains no new guidance.

The guidance contained in each of the documents listed in the Introduction is either: 1) incorporated in its entirety, or summarized, in the text of the appropriate section of this Handbook, or 2) attached as an appendix (see Table of Contents). If there is uncertainty or perceived inconsistency on any of the guidance incorporated into this Handbook, please contact us. Copies of all original guidance documents not attached as appendices may be obtained from the source listed for each document in the Reference section of this Handbook.