United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
Regulations and Standards
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 440/5-88-083
September 1988
Water
State Water Quality
Standards Summary:
Virgin Islands
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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: PB89-142152 _
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VIRGIN ISLANDS
Responsible Agency:
. Dept. of Planning and Natural Resources
179 Altona and Helgunst
Charlotte Amalie .
St. Thomas
00802
809-774-3320
Standards Available From:
Ms, Francine Lang, Director
Division of Environmental Protection
Dept of Planning and Natural Resources
179 Altona & Helgunst; Charlotte Aialie
St. Thoias 00802 ,
809-774-3320 Fee: no Hailing List:
State Contact:
Ms. Harcia Taylor
Dept. of Planning and Natural Resources
179 Altona and Nelgunst
Charlotte Aialie
St. Thoias 00802 809-773-9310
State Contact:
no
State Narrative Language For: Antidegradation
Waters whose existing quality is better than the established standards as of the date on which such standards
become effective will be laintained at their existing high quality. The quality of these and other waters of
the United States Virgin Islands shall be maintained and protected unless the Territory's water pollution
control agency and the Environmental Protection Agency find, after full satisfaction of the intergovernmental
coordination and public participation provisions and the Territory's continuing planning process, that allott-
ing lower water quality is justifiable as a result of necessary economic or social development and Hill not
interfere with or become injurious to any assigned uses made of, or presently possible in such waters.
Further, the Territory's water pollution control agency and the Environmental Protection Agency shall assure
that there is achieved the highest statutory and regulatory requirements for all new and existing point
sources and cost-effective and reasonable best management practices for nonpoint source control.
Where high quality waters 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 laintained and protected. '
In those cases where potential water quality impairment associated with a thermal discharge is involved, the
antidegradation policy and iipletenting method shall be consistent with Section 316 of the Clean Hater Act.
State Narrative Language For: Toxics
All surface waters shall be free of substances attributable to municipal, industrial, or other discharges or
Hastes in concentrations or coebinations which are toxic or which produce undesirable physiological responses
in huian, fish, and other animal life, and plants.
State Narrative Language For: Free From
All surface waters shall meet generally accepted aesthetic qualifications and shall be capable of supporting
diversified aquatic life. These waters shall be free of substances attributable to municipal, industrial, or
other discharges or wastes as follows:
A. Materials that will settle to ton objectionable deposits.
B. Floating debris, oil, scui, and other latter, ,
C. Substances producing objectionable color, odor, taste, or turbidity.
D. Materials, including radionuclides, in concentrations of conbinations which are toxic or which produce
undesirable physiological responses in human, fish and other animal life, and plants,
E. Substances and conditions or conbinations thereof in concentrations that produce undesirable aquatic life.
State Narrative Language For: Mixing Zones
(a! Criteria - 1. Mixing zones shall be provided solely of mixing. Mixing must be accomplished as quickly
as possible through the use of devices which insure that the waste is mixed with the allocated dilution water
in the ssallest practicable area. .
2, For the protection of aquatic life resources, the mixing zones, must not be used for or be considered as,
a substitute for waste treatient facilities.
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VIRGIN ISLANDS
3. At the boundary of the fixing zone the Mater should coiply with all the Mater quality standards set forth
for its classification. If, after coiplete fixing Mith the available dilution Mater, these requirements are
not let, the effluent lust be adequately pretreated until standards are let.
4. No conditions shall be penitted to exist within the lixing zone, (A) that are rapidly lethal (i.e. exceed
the 96-hour tedian tolerance liiit] to locally important and desirable indigenous aquatic life, (8) that
prohibit planktonic organist's froi being carried through the fixing zone.
5. Haxitut vertical dispersion of Haste Mater discharge shall be provided for in the lixing zone.
6. Mixing zones shall not overlap spanning or nursery areas, iig/atory routes, Mater intakes or river iouths.
7. Suspended solids in waste Maters being discharged shall not settle in leasurable aiounts in the zones.
Boundaries - 1. The lixing zone nust be located in such a tanner as to allow at all tites, passageways for
the toveient or drift of the biota. The width of the iixing zone and the volute of flow in it shall depend on
and will be detenined by the nature of the Mater current and/or the estuary. The area, depth, and volute of
the flow tust be sufficient to provide a usable and desirable passageway for fish and other aquatic organist.
2. The passageway tust contain at least 752 of the cross sectional area and/or volute of flow of the estu-
ary, and should extend to at least SOX of the width. 3. A tixing zone shall not overlap Mith adjacent one.
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VIRGIN ISLANDS
Classifications:
Class A Preservation of natural,phenoiena requiring special conditions, such as the
Natural Barrier Reef at Buck Island, St Croix and the Under Water Trail at Trunk
Bay, St. John.
Class B For propagation of desirable species of iarine life and for priiary contact
recreation (sNiuing, water skiing, etc.)
Class C For the propagation of desirable species of larine life and priiary contact
recreation (siiiMing, ttater skiing, etc.)
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VIRGIN ISLANDS
Physical
pH
Upper Value
Loner Value
Dissolved Oxygen
Upper Value
Lower Value
Teiperature
Upper Value
Teiperature Change
Upper Value
Turbidity
Upper Value
Nutrients
Phosphorus
Upper Value
Toxic Metals
Pesticides
Organics
Bacteria
Fecal Col. (Beo. Mean)
Upper Value
All
Classes
Class A
Class B
Class C
Narr.
Narr.
50 ug/L
B.3
7.0
5.5 *
g/L
g/L
8.5
6.7
5.0
g/L
g/L
90 F
1.9 F
3 NTU 1 secchi 1 i. secchi dep
Narr. .
70 /100 it 200 /100 ĞL
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