f ' United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water Regulations and Standards Washington, DC 20460 EPA 440/5-88-060 September 1988 State Water Quality Standards Summary- Mississippi ------- ------- DISCLAIMER This publication"was prepared by Battelle under contract to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Contract 68-03-3534). Secondary information sources were used to compile data presented in this document. Each State was given an opportunity to review and provide comments on a draft of this information document. In no event shall either the United States or Battelle have any responsibility or liability for any use, misuse, or reliance upon the information contained herein, nor does either warrant or otherwise represent in any way the accuracy, adequacy, efficacy, or applicability of the contents hereof. The reader should consult the water quality standards of a particular State for exact regulatory language applicable to that State. Copies of State water quality standards may be obtained from the State's Water Pollution Control Agency or its equivalent. Additional information may also be obtained from the: Standards Branch Criteria and Standards Division (WH-585) Office of Water Regulations and Standards U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 202-475-7315 This document may be obtained only from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at the following address: National Technical Information Service 5285 Front Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161 703-487-4650 The NTIS order number is: PB89-141923 ------- ------- MISSISSIPPI Responsible Agency: Hississippi Dept. of Natural Resources Bureau of Pollution Control P.O. Box 10385 Jackson, HS 601-961-5171 39209 State Contact: Hr. Robert Seyfarth Chief Hater Quality Hanagement Branch Bureau of Pollution Control P.O. Box 10385 Jackson 39209 State Contact: 601-961-5171 Standards Available From: Robert H. Seyfarth, Chief Mater Quality Management Branch Bureau of Pollution Control P.O. Box 10385 Jackson 39209 601-961-5171 Fee; no Nailing Lists yes State Narrative Language For: Antidegradation The policy inherent in the standards shall be to protect water quality existing at the time these water quality standards were adopted and to upgrade or enhance water quality within the State of Mississippi. Haters whose existing quality is better than the established standards will be maintained at high quality, unless the emission (Hississippi Air and Mater Pollution Control Coiiission) finds, after full satisfaction of the intergoverniental coordination and public participation provisions of the State's continuing'planning process, that allowing lower water quality is necessary to accommodate iiportant economic or social develop- ment in the area in which the waters are located. In no event, however, lay degradation of water quality interfere with or becoie injurious to existing instreat water uses, Furhter, in no case will water quality be degraded below {or above) the base levels set forth in these standards for the protection of the beneficial uses described herein. In addition the State will assure that there shall be achieved the highest statutory and regulatory requirements for all new and existing point sources and all cost-effective and reasonable best ianagetent practices for nonpoint source control. Hhere the Commission determines that high quality Haters constitute an outstanding national resource, such as waters of National and State parks and wildlife refuges and waters of exceptional recreational or ecological significance, that water quality shall be maintained and protected. In view of the fact that industry is continuing to produce new materials whose characteristics and effects are unknown at this time, such materials shall be evaluated on their merits as information becomes available to the Commission. The use of such information should be limited to that part applicable to the indigenous aquatic community found in the State of Hississippi. State Narrative Language For: Toxics Haters shall be free from substances attributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural or other discharges in concentrations or combinations which are toxic or harmful to humans, animals or aquatic life. There shall be no substances added, whether alone or in combination with other substances, that will impair the use of waters from that which it is classified. The concentration of toxic pollutants shall not exceed one-tenth (1/lOth) of the 96-hour median tolerance limit based on available data. The concentration of toxic pollutants that are cumulative and/or persistent may be furhter limited on a case-by-case basis, where such data is available. available references to be used in determining toxicity limitations shall include, but not be limited to Quality Criteria for Hater (Section 304(a)), Federal Regulations under Section 307, and Federal Regulations under Section 1412 of the Public Health Service Act as amended by the Safe Drinking Hater Act (Pub. L. 93-523). The use of such information should be limited to that part applicable to the indigenous aquatic community found in the State of Hississippi. State Narrative Language For: Free From A. Haters shall be free from substances attributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural or other discharges that will settle to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable sludge deposits. B. Haters shall be free from floating debris, oil, scum, and other floating materials attributable to MS-1 ------- MISSISSIPPI lunicipal, industrial, agricultural or other discharges in amounts sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious. C. Haters shall be free froi laterials attributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural or other discharges producing color, odor, or other conditions in such degree as to create a nuisance. D. Haters shall be free froi substances attributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural or other discharges in concentrations or coibinations which are toxic or hanful to hutans, aniials or aquatic life. State Narrative Language Fors Low Flow All criteria contained herein shall apply to all stages of streamflow greater than or equal to the 7-day, 10-year minimum flan in unregulated, natural streams, and the legally guaranteed siniaua flo« in regulated streams. This requirement shall not be interpreted to periit any unusual waste discharges during periods of lower flow. State Narrative Language Fors Mixing Zones It is recognized that limited areas of mixing are sometimes unavoidable; however, mixing zones shall not be used for, or considered as a substitute for waste treatment. Mixing zones constitute an area whereby physical mixing of a wastewater effluent with a receiving water body occurs. Applications of mixing zones shall be made on a case-by-case basis and shall only occur in cases involving large surface water bodies in which a long distance or large area is required for the wastewater to completely mix with the receiving water body. The location of a mixing zone shall not significantly alter the designated uses of the receiving water outside its established boundary. Adequate zones of passage for the migration and free movement of fish and other aquatic biota shall be maintained. No conditions shall be allowed to exist within the mixing zone that would result in an endangerment to public health, nuisance, or fish mortality. MS-2 ------- MISSISSIPPI Classifications: Public Water Supply Water in this classification is for use as a source of raw water supply for drinking and food processing purposes. The Nater treatient process shall be approved by the Mississippi State Board of Health. The ran water supply will be such that after approved treatment process it will satisfy the regulations established pursuant to Section 1412 of the Public Health Service Act as amended by the Safe Drinking Hater Act (Pub. L. 93-523). Haters that ieet Public Hater Supply Criteria shall also be suitable for incidental recreational contact. Shellfish Harvesting Areas Recreation Fish 4 Hildlife Epheieral Streai Haters classified for this use are for propagation and harvesting shellfish for sale or use as a food product, These waters will teet the requirements set forth in the latest edition of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, Manual of Operations, Part I, "Sanitation of Shellfish Browing Areas1, as published by the U.S. Public Health Service. The quality of waters in this classification is to be suitable for recreational purposes, including such water contact activities as swiuing and water skiing. The waters shall also be suitable for use for which waters of lower quality will be satisfactory. Haters in this classification are intended for fishing and for propagation of fish, aquatic life, and wildlife. Haters in this classification do not support a fisheries resource and are not usable for human consumption or aquatic life. Ephemeral streams normally are natural watercourses, including natural watercourses that have been aodif-ied by channelization, that flow only in direct response to precipitation in the immediate locality and whose channels are normally above, the groundwater table. Haters in this classification shall be protective of wildlife and huaans which may come in contact with the waters. Haters contained in ephemeral streams shall also allow maintenance of the standards applicable to all downstream waters. MS-3 ------- MISSISSIPPI Physical pH Upper Value Loner Value Dissovled Oxygen Lower Value Tesperature Upper Value Teaperature Change Upper Value Chlorides Upper Value Total Dissolved Solids Upper Value Nutrients Toxic Metals Arsenic Upper Value Cadiiui Upper Value Chroiiui - Hexavalent Upper Value Cyanide Upper Value Lead Upper Value Mercury Upper Value Bariui Upper Value Seleniui Upper Value Silver Upper Value Pesticides Organics Phenol Upper Value Bacteria Fecal Colifon (Geo Mean, Max) Upper Value Secondary Upper Liiit All Classes 8.5 6.0 5 ig/L daily avg. 90 F 5 F Public Water Su.. Shellfish Harve.. Recreation 250 ig/L 500 ig/L 0.05 ig/L 0.01 ig/L 0.05 ig/L 0.025 ig/L 0.05 ig/L 0.002 ig/L 1.0 ig/L 0.01 ig/L 0.05 ig/L 0.001 ig/L 2000 /100 iL 4000 /100 iL 1500 ig/L 14 43 /100 iL 200 /100 iL /100 iL 400 /100 iL MS-4 ------- MISSISSIPPI Fish 4 Wildlife Ephemeral Strea.. Physical Total Dissolved Solids Upper Value 1500 §q/L Nutrients Toxic Hetals Pesticides Organics Phenolic Compounds Upper Value 0.05 ig/L Bacteria Fecal Col if on Upper Value 2000 7100 •(. Harr. Secondary Upper Litit 4000 /100 iL MS-5 ------- ------- |