EPA's water quality standards regulations require States to adopt water quality 

 standards which have three basic components: use designations, criteria to protect * ■ 

 those uses, and an antidegradation policy. 



EPA directs that, where attainable, designated uses must include, at a minimum, 

 mes necessary to protect the goals of the CWA for the protection and propagation of 

 fish, shellfish, and wildlife and provide for recreation in and on the waters. This 

 baseline is commonly referred to as the "fishable/swimmable" designation. If the State 

 does not designate these minimum uses, or wishes to remove such a designated use, it 

 must justify it through a use attainability analysis based on at least one of six faaors.^'^ 

 In no event, however, may a beneficial existing use (any use which is actually attained 

 in the water body on or after November 28, 1975) be removed from a water body or 

 segment 



Criteria, either pollutant-specific numerical criteria or narrative criteria, must 

 protect the designated and existing uses. Many of the existing numeric criteria are not 

 specifically adapted to the characteristics of wetlands (see last section of handbook for 

 steps in this direction). However, ahnost all States have some form of the narrative 

 standards (commonly known as the "free froms") which say that all waters shall be free 

 from substances that: settle to form objectionable deposits; float as debris, scimi, ofl or 

 other matter to form nuisances; produce objectionable color, odor, taste, or turbidi^ 

 injure, ot are toxic,or produce adverse physiological responses in humans, animals, or 

 plants; or produce undesirable or nuisance aquatic life. States have also used other 

 narrative criteria to protect wetland quality. The use of criteria to protea wetlands is 

 discussed in the following section. 



In addition, EPA also requires that all States adopt an antidegradation pohcy. 

 Several States have used their antidegradation poli^ effectively to protect the quality of 

 their wetland resources. At a minimum, a State's antidegradation policy must be 

 consistent with the following provisions: 



(1) Existing uses and the level of water quality necessary to protect existing uses in 

 all segments of a water bo^ must be maintained; 



(2) if the quality of the water is higher than that necessaiy to support propagation 

 of fish, shellfish, and wildlife, and recreation in and on the water, that quality 

 shall be maintained and protected, unless the State finds that lowering the water 

 quality is justified by overriding economic or social needs determined after full 

 public involvement In no event, however, may water quality fall below that 

 necessary to protect the existing beneficial uses; 



(3) if the waters have been designated as outstanding resource waters (ORWs) no 

 degradation (except temporary) of water quality is allowed. 



13 



