United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water Regulations and Standards Washington, DC 20460 EPA 440/5-88-074 September 1988 "•™™^PMBMMMH__ State Water Quality Standards Summary: Puerto Rico ------- ------- ( DISCLAIMER i-ho n cS Publacatlon was prepared by Battelle under contract to S™JJ;?' E™lronm?ntal Protection Agency (Contract 68-03-3534). ?n ?S? ^ informatl°* sources were used to compile data presented in this document. Each State was given an opportunity to review no £v«ni =om?ent^on a dra" of this information document In no event shall either the United States or Battelle have anv responsibility or liability for any use, misuse, or reliance upon otnerw?^ 10n =ontained herein« nor does either warrant ?o? otherwise represent in any way the accuracy, adequacy efficacv or applicability of the contents hereof. ^equacy, etficacy, Dart JuTa/^dJr ^h°Uld C°nsult the wate^ quality standards of a 6 ^^^ legulato^ ^nguage applicable to that « °? State Water <3uality standards may be obtained * Pollution Control Agency or its 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; PB89-142Q61 ------- ------- PUERTO RICO Responsible Agency: Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board P.O. Box 11448 Santurce 809-722-5959 00910-1488 Standards Available From: Mr. Tomas Rivera, Acting Director Water Quality Area Puerto Rico Environiental Quality Board P.O. Box 11448 Santurce 00910-1488 809-723-0733 Fee: no Mailing List: no State Contact: Mr. Toias Rivera Acting Director Hater Quality Area Puerto Rico Environtental Quality Board P.O. Box 11448 Santurce 00910-1488 809-723-0733 State Contact: Mr. Robert Ayala Puerto Rico Environiental Quality Board P.O. Box 11448 Santurce 00910-1488 809-722-5959 State Narrative Language For: Antidegradation Haters whose existing quality as of the effective date of these Regulations is better than the standards established herein will be laintained at such quality. These and other waters of the Commonwealth will not be leered in quality unless it has been affirmatively demonstrated to the Board (Environmental Quality Board that such a change is justified as a result of necessary economic or social development and will not interfere or become injurious to any assigned uses made of, or presently possible in, such waters. This will require that any industrial, public or private project, or development which would constitute a new source of portion, or a modified source of pollution, to a high quality water body, possess as a part of the initial project design the best practicable control technology currently available. This decision of the Board shall be preceded by adequate public notice. . State Narrative Language For: Toxics The waters of Puerto Rico shall not contain any substance in a concentration which is toxic or which produces undesirable physiological responses in human, fish or other animal life, and plants. The waters of Puerto Rico shall not contain two or more substances whose combination is toxic or which will produce chronic or other undesirable physiological responses in humans, fish or other animal life and plants. State Narrative Language For: Free From The waters of Puerto Rico shall not contain material attributable to discharges that will settle to form objectionable deposits. Nor will they contain floating debris, scum, oil and other floating materials attributable to discharges in amounts sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious. The waters of Puerto Rico shall be free from color, odor, taste or turbidity attributable to discharqes in such a degree as to create a nuisance. The waters of Puerto Rico shall not contain any substance in a concentration which is toxic or which produces undesirable physiological responses in husan, fish or other animal life, or plants. State Narrative Language For: Low Flow Kater quality standards shall apply at all tires, except in surface waters during periods when their flows are less than the average iiniium seven day low flow which occurs once in any two consecutive years. State Narrative Language For: Mixing Zones 5.1 Requireaents for the Authorization of Mixing Zones - A discharge will be permitted for which a mixing zone has not been defined and authorized by the Board only when the petitioner demonstrates to the satisfac- uon of the Board that the discharge, undiluted, complies with all the water quality standards (at the discharge saapling point). 5.2 Natural Background Concentrations - If the petitioner demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Board, through extensive field monitoring and investigations, that the natural background concentration of the receiving waters exceed one or more of the water quality standards set forth for the corresponding classification, the Board may allow the parameters in the discharge to be equal to or less than the natural PR-1 ------- PUERTO RICO background values. Please refer to the "EPA Hater Quality'Criteria Sumries: A Co.pilation of State/Federal additional imng zone language for Puerto Rico. ' ia" for PR-2 ------- PUERTO RICO Classif; Class SA * Coastal waters whose existing characteristics should not be altered in order to preserve the existing natural phenomena. Coastal waters intended for uses where the huian body uy coie in direct contact with the water (such as coiplete subiergence); and for use in propagation and preservation of desirable species. Cl3SS SC Coastal "aters for uses "here the huian body .ay co« in indirect contact with the water (such as fishing, boating, etc.), and for use in propagation and •aintenance of desirable species. C1"5 SD . Surface "aters intended f°r "se as a raw water source for public water supply and propagation and preservation of desirable species. These waters cannot be safely used for priiary and secondary contact recreation, unless they coiolv with Section 2.2.4.B.10. ClaSS SE Surface "aters Df exceptional ecological value, *hose existing characteristics should not be altered in order to preserve the existing natural phenoiena. PR-3 ------- PUERTO RICO Physical PH Upper Value Loner Value Dissolved Oxygen Upper Value Loner Value Teiperature Upper Value Teiperature Change Upper Value Turbidity Upper Value Sulfates Upper Value Total Dissolved Solids Upper Value Nutrients Total Nitrogen Upper Value Toxic Hetals Arsenic Upper Value Cadiiui Upper Value Chroiim - Total Upper Value Chroiiui - Hexavalent Upper Value Copper Upper Value Cyanide Upper Value Iron Upper Value Lead Upper Value Mercury Upper Value Zinc Upper Value Bariui Upper Value Boron Upper Value Manganese Upper Value All Class SA Classes Narr. Narr. 94 F 5 F Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. 1.00 ug/L 50.0 ug/L Narr. Narr. Narr. ' Class 8.5 7.3 5 10 2800 5 150.0 5.00 300.0 50.0 50.0 20.0 200.0 15.0 1000.0 4800.0 100.0 SB •g/L •g/L NTU •g/L •g/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L Class SC 8.5 7.3 •g/L 4 ig/L 10 NTU 2800 «g/L 5 «g/L 150.0 ug/L 5.00 ug/L 300.0 ug/L 50.0 ug/L 50.0 ug/L 20.0 ug/L N 200.0 ug/L 15.0 ug/L 1000.0 ug/L 4800.0 ug/L 100.0 ug/L PR-4 ------- PUERTO RICO Organics Phenolic Compounds Upper Value Bacteria Fecal Colifon Upper Value Total Colifon Upper Value All Classes Class SA Class SB Class SC Seleniui Upper Value Silver Upper Value Pesticides Aldrin & Dieldrin Upper Value Cnlordane Upper Value 2,4,D Upper Value 2,4,5-TP (Silvex) Upper Value DDT Upper Value Dene ton Upper Value Endosulfan Upper Value Endrin Upper Value Suthion Upper Value Heptachlor Upper Value Lindane Upper Value Halathion Upper Value Methoxychlor Upper Value Hirex Upper Value Parathion Upper Value Toxaphene Upper Value Narr. 10. 0 ug/L 10.0 ug/L Narr. 2.00 ug/L 2.00 ug/L • 0.002 ug/L 0.004 ug/L 80.00 ug/L 10.00 ug/L 0.001 ug/L 0.100 ug/L 0.001 ug/L 0.001 ug/L 0.010 ug/L 0.001 ug/L 0.004 ug/L 0.100 ug/L 0.020 ug/L 0.001 ug/L 0.004 ug/L 0.005 ug/L Narr. 10.0 ug/L 10.0 ug/L Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. Narr. PR-5 ------- PUERTO RICO Class SD Class SE Physical PH Upper Value Lower Value Dissolved Oxygen Loner Value Turbidity Upper Value Chlorides Upper Value Total Dissoved Solids Upper Value Hutrients Nitrate Upper Value Toxic Metals Arsenic Upper Value Cadiiui Upper Value Chroiiui - Total Upper Value Chroiiui - Hexavalent Upper Value Copper Upper Value Cyanide Upper Value Iron Upper Value Lead Upper Value Bariui Upper Value Boron Upper Value Seleniui Upper Value Silver Upper Value 9.0 6.0 4.0 50 250 500 10 50.0 5.0 50.0 50.0 40.0 200.0 300.0 50.0 •g/L NTU •g/L •g/L •g/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L Narr. Narr. 10 50.0 5.0 50.0 50.0 40.0 200.0 300.0 50.0 1000.0 1000.0 10.0 2.00 •g/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L ug/L Pesticides Organics Phenolic Compounds Upper Value Bacteria 1.00 ug/L 1.00 ug/L PR-6 ------- PUERTO RICO Class SD Class SE Fecal Colifon Upper Value Harr. Total Colifon Narr. Narr. PR-7 ------- ------- |