Ambient Water Quality Criteria Recommendations: Information Supporting the Development of State and Tribal Nutrient Criteria for Rivers and Streams in Nutrient Ecoregion V

This document presents EPA's nutrient criteria for Rivers and Streams in Nutrient Ecoregion V. These criteria provide EPA's recommendations to States and authorized Tribes for use in establishing their water quality standards consistent with section 303(c) of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Under section 303(c) of the CWA, States and authorized Tribes have the primary responsibility for adopting water quality standards as part of State or Tribal law or regulation. Federal regulations require States and Tribal Standards to contain scientifically defensible water quality criteria that are protective of designated uses. EPA's recommended section 304(a) criteria are not laws or regulations; they are guidance that States and Tribes may use as a starting point in creating their own water quality standards.