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WATER QUALITY STANDARDS CRITERIA DIGEST
A COMPILATION OF FEDERAL/STATE CRITERIA ON
-OIL-
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
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INTRODUCTION
This digest was compiled in order to provide general information to the
public as well as to Federal, State, and local officials. It contains excerpts
froin the individual Federal-State water quality standards establishing
oil criteria for interstate waters. The water quality standards program is
directed by the Environmental Protection Agency, an independent regulatory agenqr
which has responsibility for approving State-adopted standards for interstate
waters,evaluating adherence to the standards, and overseeing enforcement of stan-
dards compliance.
Standards, the first nationwide strategy for water quality management, contain
four major elements: the use (recreation, drinking water, fish and wildlife
propagation, industrial, or agricultural) to be made of the interstate water;
criteria to protect those uses; implementation plans (for needed industrial-
municipal waste treatment improvements, among others) and enforcement plans; and
an antidegradation statement to protect existing high quality waters.
Minimum water quality criteria, or numerical specification of physical,
chemical, temperature, and biological levels, are stated in the National Technical
Advisory Committee report to the Secretary of the Interior, Water Quality Criteria,
dated April 1, 1968, and published by the Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. Unavailability of the NTAC report before June 30, 1967--the date set by the
Water Quality Act of 1965 for formal adoption of State standards--resulted in
significant variations between the state-adopted and the NTAC minimum criteria.
Some standards were adopted and approved before the NTAC report became available.
Also, the Water Quality Criteria report is subject to updating in light of new
scientific and technical information.
Since water quality standards experience revisions and upgrading from time
to time, following procedures set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act,
individual entries in this digest may be superseded. As these revisions are
accomplished, this digest will be updated and reissued. Because this publication
is not intended for use other than as a general information resource, for the
latest information, and for special purposes and applications, refer to the existing
approved water quality standards which can be obtained from the State water pollution
control agencies or EPA Washington, .D.C. or regional Offices.
Because of the severe toxic effects of oil on live organisms and the need
to protect the nation's fish and aquatic life, and wildlife resources, the NTAC
Water Quality Criteria report recommended:
"In view of available data, it is concluded that to provide suitable
conditions for aquatic life, oil and petrochemicals should not be
added in such quantities to the receiving waters that they will:
(1) produce a visible color film on the surface, (2) impart an
oily odor to water or an oily taste to fish and edible invertebrates,
(3) coat the banks and bottom of the water course or taint any of
the associated biota, or (4) become effective toxicants according
to the criteria recommended in the Toxicity' section."
All States cover permissible levels of oil in receiving waters by means of
general narrative criteria. In most States, oil discharges could actually be
covered by more than one of the general narrative criteria usually contained
in the State standards. However, the following compilation lists those criteria
most directly related to oil discharged to receiving waters for each of the States.
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KEY
PWS Public Water Supply
F&WL Fish and Wildlife
Adjr. Agricultural
Ind. Industrial
mg/1 Milligrams per liter
(For explanation of use classifications, see EPA
publication, "General Stream Use Designations.")
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OIL CRITERIA
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
State waters shall be free from floating debris, oil,
scum and other floating materials attributable to
sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes in amounts
sufficient to be unsightly or interfere directly or
indirectly with any classified water use.
PWS
Below normally detectable amounts.
Swimming No -visible concentrations of oil sludge
that may adversely affect use indicated.
None permitted.
Shellfish No visible evidence of wastes. Less
than acute or chronic problem levels.
Agri. None in sufficient quantities to cause
soil plugging.
Ind. No visible evidence.
Free from floating debris, oil, grease, scum, and
other floating materials attributable to domestic
or industrial waste or other controllable sources
in amounts sufficient to be unsightly or in amounts
sufficient to interfere with any beneficial use of
the water.
The stream shall be essentially free of the relatively
nonvolatile liquid components that contribute to the
formation of oil films, deposits and emulsions.
(Varies from basin to basin, but generally of following
type):
The waters shall be free from floating debris, oil,
grease, scum, or other carried or floating materials.
Free from unsightly floating debris, oil, grease, scum,
and other floating material attributable to municipal,
domestic, or industrial wastes, or other controllable
sources.
Class A*and SA (public water supply) - none allowable.
Other - sludge deposits, floating solids, oils, grease
and scum shall not be allowed except for such small
amounts that may result from the discharge of appropriately
treated sewage or industrial waste effluents.
*For explanation of use classifications, see EPA publication,
"General Stream Use Designations."
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Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
The waters shall not contain substances attributable
to municipal, industrial, agricultural or other
discharges in concentrations or amounts sufficient
to be adverse or harmful to water uses to be protected,
or to human, animal, aquatic and wildlife. The waters
shall be free from unsightly and malodorous nuisances
due to floating solids or sludge deposits, debris, oil.
and scum.
Free from floating debris, oil, scum, and other floating
materials Attributable to municipal, industrial,
agricultural, or other discharge in amounts sufficient
to be unsightly or deleterious. Shall not exceed 15 mg/1
or that no visible oil defined as iridescence be present
to cause taste and odors or interfere with other bene-
ficial uses.
All waters shall be free from oil, scum and floating
debris associated with municipal or domestic sewage,
industrial waste or other discharges in amounts suffi-
cient to be unsightly or to interfere with'legitimate
water uses.
All waters shall be free of floating debris, oil, scum
and other matter attributable to discharges or wastes.
Interstate waters shall not contain visible concen-
trations of oil, sludge deposits, scum, foam or other
wastes that may adversely affect the use indicated.
Freedom from unnatural sludge or bottom deposits,
floating debris, visible oil, odor, unnatural plant
or algal growth, unnatural color or turpidity, or
matter in concentrations or combinations toxic or
harmful to human, animal, plant, or aquatic life of other
than natural origin. For public and food processing
water supply use, 0.1 mg/1 (hexame-solubles or equivalent)
Free from floating debris, oil, scum and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial,
agricultural or other discharges in amounts sufficient
to be unsightly or deleterious.
Free from floating debris, oil, scum and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial or
other discharges in amounts sufficient to be unsightly
or deleterious.
The river shall be essentially free of visible oil and
grease. Dissolved or emulsified grease concentrations
shall be kept below levels which will interfere with
established beneficial use.
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Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Free from floating debris, oil, scum and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial,
agricultural or other discharges in amounts sufficient
to be unsightly or deleterious.
Free from floating debris, oil, scum, and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial, agricul-
tural, mining or other effluents in amounts sufficient
to be unsightly or deleterious.
The stream shall be virtually free of oil and grease.
Emulsified oil and grease concentrations shall be kept
below levels which will interfere with beneficial uses
of the stream.
A - Closed - None.
A - Open, C, D, E and F - None in sufficient quantities
to adversely affect the use indicated.
B - None in sufficient quantities to adversely affect
established levels of treatment.
No residue attributable to waste water or visible film
of oil or globules of grease shall be present. Emul-
sified oil and grease shall be less than 15 mg/1.
Free of visible floating oil.
Class A - PWS - None.
Class B - Primary Contact Recreation - No objectionable
physical characteristics.
Class C - Secondary Contact Recreation - Free from
slicks, odors, . . .
Class D - Navigation - Free from slick, odors, . . .
None of which are noticeable in the water or are de-
posited along the shore or on the aquatic substrata in
quantities detrimental to the natural biota.
Receiving waters shall be free of objectionable floating
solids, oils, and grease where these materials come
from other than natural sources.
Class AA - None attributable to sewage, industrial wastes
or other wastes.
Classes A, B, C and D - None which are readily visible
and attributable to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes or which deleteriously increase the amounts of
these constituents in receiving waters after opportunity
for reasonable dilution and mixture with the wastes
discharged thereto.
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Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
The river shall be free of floating debris, scum,
and other floating materials attributable to municipal,
industrial, or other waste disposal practices in amounts
sufficient to be unsightly or detrimental to established
beneficial use.
Free from floating debris, oil, scum and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial or
other discharges or agricultural practices in amounts
sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious.
There shall be no slicks of free or floating oil
present in sufficient quantities to interfere with the
designated uses, nor shall emulsified oil be present
in sufficient quantities to interfere with the designated
uses.
Free from sludge deposits, solid refuse and floating
solids such as oils, grease or scum.
Free from floating debris, oil, grease, scum and other
floating materials attributable to sewage, industrial
waste, or other waste in amounts sufficient to be
unsightly to such a degree as to create a nuisance, or
that interfere directly or indirectly with water uses.
Classes A, B, SA, SB - none allowable.
Glasses C, D, SC, SD - none allowable except those
amounts that may result from the discharge from waste
treatment facilities providing appropriate treatment.
No evidence of such material except of natural origin.
No visible film of oil or globules of grease.
No raw or treated sewage, industrial waste or other
wastes shall be discharged into any interstate waters
of the State so as to cause any nuisance conditions,
such as the presence of significant amounts of floating
solids, scum, oil slicks, excessive suspended solids,
material discoloration, obnoxious odors, gas ebullition,
deleterious sludge deposits, undesirable slimes or
fungus growths, or other offensive or harmful effects.
Fisheries and Recreation:
Class A
Class B
Class C
Not to exceed a trace.
None in such quantities as to (1) produce
a visible color film on the surface, (2)
impart an oily odor to water or an oily
taste to fish and edible invertebrates,
(3) coat the banks and bottom of the
watercourse or taint any of the associated
biota, or (4) become effective toxicants
according to the criteria recommended.
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North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
None alone or in combination with other substances or
wastes in sufficient amounts or at such temperatures as
to be injurious to fish life, make the waters unsafe or
unsuitable as a source of water supply for drinking,
culinary or food processing purposes or impair the
waters for any other best usage as determined for the
specific waters which are assigned to this class.
Class A-I - None
Class A-II - Only such amounts, whether alone or in
combination with other substances of wastes, and only
such temperatures as will not render the waters unsafe
or unsuitable as a source of water supply for drinking,
culinary, or food processing purposes, injurious to
fish and wildlife or adversely affect the palatability of
same, or impair the waters for any other best usage
established for this class.
Other Classes - Essentially the same as above.
There shall be no material or substances attributable
to municipal, industrial, or other wastes discharged
into any rivers, streams, lakes, or other bodies of
water in the State that will result in floating debris,
solids, oil slicks, scum or other floating materials
that will be unsightly or have a deleterious effect on
water usage.
Free from floating debris, oil, scum, and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial, or
other discharges in amounts sufficient to be unsightly,
or deleterious.
Essentially free of floating or emulsified oil or grease.
No wastes shall be discharged and no activities shall be
conducted which either alone or in combination with other
wastes or activities will cause in any waters of the
state objectionable discoloration, turbidity, scum, oily
slick or floating solids, or coat the aquatic life with
oil films.
The water shall not contain substances attributable to
municipal, industrial or other waste discharges in
concentration or amounts sufficient to be inimical or
harmful to the water uses to be protected or to human,
animal, plant or aquatic life. Specific substances to
be controlled include, but are not limited to, floating
debris, oil, scum and other floating materials; toxic
substances; substances that produce color, tastes, odors
or settle to form sludge deposits.
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Rhode Island
Classes A § B - None allowable.
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Classes C § D - Sludge deposits, floating solids, oils,
grease and scum shall not be allowed except for such small
amounts that may result from the discharge of appropriately
treated sewage or industrial waste effluents.
The waters of the State shall at all times be free from
floating debris, oil, grease, scum and other floating
materials attributable to sewage, industrial waste, or
other waste in amounts sufficient to be unsightly to
such a degree as to create a nuisance or that interfere
directly or indirectly with water uses.
No raw or treated sewage, garbage, industrial wastes
or agricultural wastes shall be discharged into any
waters of the state which produce floating solids, scum,
oil slicks, material discoloration, undesirable odors,
visible gassing, sludge deposits, slimes, fungus growths
or other offensive effects.
Water supply - There shall be no distinctly visible
solids, scum, foam, oily slick or the formation of
slimes, bottom deposits or sludge banks of such size or
character as may inpair the usefulness of the water as
a source of.domestic water supply.
Other classes - Essentially the same wording as above.
Substantially free from oil.
It shall be unlawful to discharge or place any wastes
or other substances in such a way as to result in floating
debris, oil, scum and other matters.
Classes A and B - none allowable.
Classes C and D - Sludge deposits, floating solids, oils,
grease and scum shall not be allowed except for such
small amounts that may result from the discharge of
appropriately treated sewage or industrial waste effluents.
All State waters shall at all times be free from floating
debris, oil, grease, scum, and other floating materials
attributable to sewage, industrial waste, or other waste
in amounts sufficient to be unsightly, or which interfere
directly or indirectly with specified uses of such waters.
Toxic, radioactive or deleterious material concentrations
shall be less than those which may affect public health,
the natural aquatic environment, or the desirability -
of the water for any usage.
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West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
District of Columbia
Guam
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
No sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes entering
any of the waters of the State shall cause therein or
materially contribute to distinctly visible floating
or settleable solids, suspended solids, scum, foam or
oily slicks of unreasonable kind of quantity.
Floating or submerged debris, oil, scum or other material
shall not be present in such amounts as to create a
nuisance.
Essentially free from floating debris, oil, grease, scum,
and other floating materials of other than natural origin
in amounts sufficient to be unsightly.
Free from floating debris, oil, grease, scum, and other
floating materials attributable to sewage, industrial
waste, or other waste in amounts sufficient to be
unsightly to such a degree as to create a nuisance, or
that interfere directly or indirectly with water uses.
Free from visible floating materials, oils, grease, scum,
foam, and other floating matter attributable to sewage,
industrial wastes, or other wastes.
Waters shall not contain floating solids, settleable
solids, oil, sludge deposits attributable to municipal,
industrial or other waste discharges.
Waters shall not contain any type of garbage, cinder, oil,
sludge or other refuse.
Free from floating debris, oil, scum and other floating
materials attributable to municipal, industrial or other
discharges.
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