reported that over 42 million Americans engaged 

 in recreational fishing — not counting children 

 mider 12 years of age. Over H million hunted 

 waterfowl. Recreation based upon taking of mol- 

 lusks and crustaceans is significant, although data 

 on use are not available. (Mollusks and crusta- 

 ceans, in varying degrees, tend to concentrate cer- 

 tain pollutants beyond concentrations m water. 

 Note is made of this fact in a succeeding recom- 

 mendation. ) 



Another Subcommittee has been asked to rec- 

 ommend criteria for fish and wildlife. The recom- 

 mendation in this section is made to underscore 

 the nearly universal value and appeal of surface 

 waters for recreation based on these life forms, and 

 to recommend that these forms of recreation be 

 provided for as a general recreation use of surface 

 waters. 



The Subcommittee realizes that optimum condi- 

 tions for fish and wildlife are not attainable in all 

 surface waters, even with the recommended excep- 

 tions for mixing zones. Significant recreation op- 

 portunities based on fish and wildlife may, how- 

 ever, be provided by less than optimum conditions, 

 and these recreation values may be expected to 

 increase as conditions are improved under careful 

 management. 



The use of specific waters for recreation based 

 upon fish and wildlife may be undesirable for a 

 number of reasons, including potential conflicts 

 among recreation activities. Limitations on the 

 recreational values of waters capable of providing 

 recreational fishing and hunting under practical 

 management for these purposes should not, how- 

 ever, be imposed by water quality. 



The effect of the Subcommittee's recommenda- 

 tion is that recreation based upon utilization of 

 fishes, other aquatic life forms, and waterfowl is 

 logically assumed to be an objective of the man- 

 agement of surface waters. Criteria which fail to 

 provide for these recreation activities constitute a 

 limitation on recreation uses, except where such 

 use is inappropriate for reasons other than water 

 quality. 



A significant part of fishing, hunting, and similar 

 activities is consumption of the species involved. 

 Water quality management should protect this use 

 by controlling taste, odor, and safeness for con- 

 sumption of harvestable species. It is the position 

 of the Subcommittee that the recreation harvester 

 of aquatic life is entitled to the same protection 

 afforded the commercial producer and consumer. 



Recommendation: Species available for harvest by 

 recreation users should be fit for human consumption. 

 In areas where taking of mollusks is a recreational 

 activity, the criteria shall be guided by the U.S. Public 

 Health Service manual "Sanitation of Shellfish Growing 

 Areas," 1965 revision. 



Criteria for the enhancement of 

 recreation value of waters designated 

 for recreation uses other than primary 

 contact recreation 



The preceding recommendations on criteria for 

 general recreational use of surface waters note 

 that regardless of whether or not such use is en- 

 couraged, people are drawn to and make use of 

 water for a variety of recreation activities, and 

 suggest criteria in recognition of this fact. 



The recommendations in this section are in- 

 tended to apply where recreation is a designated 

 use for water quality management purposes (but 

 not in cases where primary contact recreation 

 is involved). 



Water quality managers and recreation-supply- 

 ing agencies share the opportunity and obligation 

 to seek high quality in waters designated for recre- 

 ational use and especially so in waters associated 

 with public or private areas and facilities provided 

 for recreation uses. 



Water suitable for primary contact recreation 

 uses is a desirable goal on all waters designated for 

 recreation use. Criteria for primary contact use 

 (set forth in a succeeding recommendation) should 

 be applied wherever feasible and should be ap- 

 proached as closely as possible wherever recreation 

 is a designated water use — especially where recrea- 

 tion use is encouraged by facilities such as boat 

 launching ramps, campgrounds, fishing access 

 points, and shoreline trails. Where wading and 

 dabbling by children is a customary use in these 

 areas, primary contact criteria should apply. 



Where primary contact criteria can be applied, 

 health hazards are minimized and the full range 

 of recreation opportunities assured. 



Aesthetic criteria apply, of course, to waters 

 designated for recreation use. In addition, the 

 Subcommittee recommends fecal coliform criteria 

 designed to enhance and protect recreation use. 



This recommendation is intended to establish 

 microbiological criteria for "secondary contact" 

 recreation activities on waters designated for 

 recreation use. It is more stringent than the recom- 

 mendation providing for secondary contact recrea- 

 tion on surface waters generally. 



Recommendation: In waters designated for recreation 

 uses other than primary contact recreation, the Sub- 

 committee recommends that the fecal coliform content, 

 as determined by either multiple-tube fermentation or 

 membrane filter techniques, should not exceed a log 

 mean of 1,000/100 ml, nor equal or exceed 2,000/ 

 100 ml in more than 10 percent of the samples. 



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