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WATER QUALITY STANDARDS CRITERIA DIGEST
A COMPILATION OF FED E RAL/STATE CRITERIA ON
-SETTLEABLE SOLIDS-
T"1'"''.: ::••'••:• V. < :*
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
from the individual Federal-State water quality standards establishing settleable
solids criteria for interstate waters. The water quality standards program is
directed by the Environmental Protection Agency, an independent regulatory agency
which has responsibility for approving State-adopted standards for interstate
waters, evaluating adherence to the standards, and overseeing enforcement of
standards.
Standards, the first nationwide strategy for water quality management,
contain four major elements: the use (recreation, drinking water, fish and wild-
life 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,
B.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 became available. Also,
the Water Quality Criteria report is subject to updating in light of new scientific
and technical information.
Standards for settleable solids are set to control and prevent the artificial
dishcarge of such materials into the water. Settleable solids may consist of
sewage and industrial sludges. They include inorganic (sand, silt, and clay) and
organic (greases, oils, tars, animal and vegetable fats, paper mill and synthetic
plastic fibers, sawdust and hair) materials, which tend to settle out rapidly on
the stream bottom. They can trap and smother bottom organisms, cover and destroy
spawning beds, blanket bacteria, fungi, and decomposing organic wastes. Deposits
of solids interfere with recreation, navigation, and fish and shellfish production,
and destroy aesthetic values of water. Dissolved or colloidal solids may be
synthesized by bacteria in a stream to form suspended and settleable sludge con-
sisting primarily of bacterial and biological slimes. Deposits containing organic
materials may deplete bottom oxygen supplies and produce hydrogen smlfide, carbon
dioxide, methane, or other noxious gases.
The National Technical Advisory Committee report, considering criteria for
the aquatic life use,recommended: "Since it is known that even minor deposits
of settleable materials inhibit the growth of normal stream or lake flora and
fauna (and marine and estuarine organismsj, it is recommended that no settleable
materials be added to these waters in quantities that adversely affect the natural
biota."
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.
Individual St.ate-adopted criteria follow.
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SETTLEABLE SOLIDS
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
State waters shall be free from substances attributable
to sewage, industrial waste or other waste that will
settle to form bottom deposits which are unsightly,
putrescent or interfere directly or indirectly with
any classified water use.
Class A - Public Water Supply. Below normally measure-
able amounts in the water diverted.
Class B - Public Water Supply. No imposed loads that
will interfere with established levels of treatment.
Class C - Primary Contact Recreation. Numerical values
not applicable. No visible concentrations of silt.
Class D - Fish & Wildlife Propagation. No appreciable
deposition which will adversely affect fish spawning and
habitat.
Class E - Shellfish Growth & Propagation. No appreciable
deposition which adversely affects growth and propagation.
Class F - Agricultural Water Supply. For sprinkler
irrigation, water free of particles of 0.074mm or coarser.
For irrigation or water spreading, not to exceed
200 mg/1 for an extended period of time.
Class G - Industrial Water Supply. No imposed loads that
would interferewith established levels of treatment.
Free from substances attributable to domestic or indus-
trial wastes or other controllable sources that will
settle to form sludge or bottom deposits in amounts
sufficient to be unsightly, putrescent or odorous, or
amounts sufficient to interfere with any beneficial use
of the water.
The streams shall have no distinctly visible solids,
scum, or foam of a persistent nature, nor shall there
be any formation of slimes, oottom deposits, or sludge
banks, attributable to waste discharges.
(Statement varies among the 32 regional water boards but
generally limits settleable solids as follows.) Less than
the concentration that would change the physical nature
of the stream bottom or adversely affect the aquatic
environment.
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Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
All waters of the state shall be free from substances
attributable to municipal, domestic, or industrial
waste or other controlable sources that either settle to
form unsightly, putrescent, or odorous bottom deposits,
or will interfere with the classified use of the water.
Class A - Public Water Supply.
allowable.
Sludge deposits - none
All Other Classes - 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. Same for salt water classifications.
Debris, oil, scum, and other floating materials and
substances that settle to form sludge deposits should
be substantially removed from all discharges.
Minimum conditions of all waters; all waters shall be
free from settleable substances—substances attributable
to municipal, industrial, agricultural, or other
discharges that will settle to form putrescent or other-
wise objectionable sludge deposits.
All waters of the state shall be free from materials
associated with municipal or domestic sewage, industrial
waste or any other waste which will settle to form
sludge deposits that become putrescent, unsightly or
otherwise objectionable.
Class 1 - Public Drinking Water Supply.
with any waste discharge.
None associated
All waters shall be free of substances attributable to
discharges of waste materials that will settle to form
objectionable deposits.
All waters shall also be free from soil particles
resulting from erosion on land involved in earth work,
such as the construction of public works, highways,
subdivisions, recreational, commerical, or industrial
development, or the cultivation and management
of agricultural lands. This standard shall be deemed
as met if it can be showed that the land on which the
erosion occurred or is occurring is being managed in
accordance with soil conservation practices acceptable
to the Director, and that a comprehensive conservation
program is being activily pursued, or that the discharge
has received the best practicable treatment for control.
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Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Interstate waters shall not contain visible concentra-
tions 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, ... harmful to human, animal, plant
or aquatic life of other than natural origin.
Water shall be free from substances contributable to
municipal, industrial, agricultural or other discharges
that will settle to form putrescent or otherwise
objectionable deposits.
Waters shall be free from substances attributable in
municipal, industrial, or other discharges that will
settle to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable
sludge deposits.
There shall be no man-made deposits of solids in
the river, either organic or inorganic, which will be
detrimental to established beneficial uses.
All waters of the Commonwealth shall be substantially
free from substances attributable to municipal, industrial
or other discharges or agricultural practices that will
settle to form putrescent sludge deposits.
None that will produce distinctly visible turbidity,
solids or scum, nor shall there be any formation of
slimes, bottom deposits, or sludge banks, attributable
to waste discharges.
All waters shall be free from sludge deposits, solid
refuse and floating solids such as oils, grease or
scum.
Waters of the state shall at all time be free from
substances attributable to sewage, industrial waste,
or other wastes that will settle to form sludge deposits
that are unsightly, putrescent or odorous to such degree
as to create a nuisance, or that interfere directly or
indirectly with water uses.
Classes A, B, SA and SB which are public water supplies
and recreation. None allowable.
All other classifications which are sludge deposits,
solid refuse, floating solids, oils, grease, and scum;
none allowable except those amounts that may result
from the discharge from waste treatment facilities
providing appropriate treatment.
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Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
All Classes - No objectionable unnatural turbidity,
color, or in deposits sufficient to interfere with the
designated uses. This criterion applies to all
suspended, colloidal and settleable materials.
No raw or treated sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes shall be discharged into any interstate waters of
the state so as to cause nuisance conditions, such as
the presence of significant amounts of floating solids,
scum, oil slicks, excessive suspended solids, material
discoloration, obnoxious odors, ... or other offensive
or harmful effects.
All waters of the state shall be free from substances
contributable to municipal, industrial, agricultural
or other discharges that will settle to form putrescent
or otherwise objectionable sludge deposits.
Substances attributable to municipal, industrial,
agricultural, miring or other effluents shall not cause
formation of putrescent or otherwise objectionable
sludge deposits on the stream bed.
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
Class A - Closed - Public Water Supply. None allowable.
Class A - Open - Public Water Supply. None in sufficient
quantities to adversely affect the use indicated. This
same statement applies to Classes C, Dl, D2, D3, E and F.
Class B - Public Water Supply. None in sufficient
quantities to adversely affect established levels of
treatment.
Suspended, colloidal, or settleable solids. None from
waste water sources which will permit objectionable
deposition or be deleterious for the designated uses.
For intermittent streams suspended solids shall not
exceed 30mg/l.
Substantially free from sludge banks and debris from
other than natural origin.
New Hampshire Class A (Public Water Supply"): No discharge of anv
sewage or wastes permitted.
Class B (Swimming): No objectionable physical character-
istics .
Class C {Fish & Wildlife): Free from conditions inimical
to fish life.
Class D (Industrial): Free from sludge deposits ...
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New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North
Carolina
North
Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
None noticeable in the water or deposited along the
shore or on the aquatic substrate in quantities detri-
mental to the natural biota. None which would render
the waters unsuitable for the designated uses.
The stream bottom shall be free from debris and
sediment of other than natural origin that will
adversely inhibit the growth of normal stream flora
and fauna or significantly alter the physical and
chemical properties of the bottom.
Classes AA (Public Water Supply) and SA (Shellfish):
None attributable to sewage, industrial wastes or other
wastes.
All other classes: 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 dis-
charged thereto.
Class Al - Public Water Supply. None attributable to
sewage, industrial waste or other waste.
All other classifications. Only such amounts attri-
butable to sewage, industrial waste or other wastes
as will not, after reasonable opportunity of dilution
and mixture of same with the receiving waters, make
the waters unsafe or unsuitable as a source of water
supply for drinking, culinary, or food processing
purposes, injurious to fish and wildlife, or impair
the waters for any other best usage established for
this class.
All waters shall be free of substances that will settle
to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable sludge
deposits, cause bottom slime formations, or in any manner
adversely affect the intended usage of the water.
All waters of the state shall be free from substances
attributable to municipal, industrial or other dischar-
ges that will settle to form putrescent or otherwise
objectionable sludge deposits.
All waters shall be free of floating debris, bottom
deposits, scum, foam and other materials of a persistent
nature from other than a natural source.
No waste shall be discharged and no activity shall be
conducted which either alone or in combination with
other wastes or activities will cause in any waters of
the state the formation of appreciable bottom or
sludge deposits or the formation of any organic or
inorganic deposits deleterious to fish or other aquatic
life or injurious to public health, recreation or
industries.
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Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South
Carolina
South
Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
The water shall not contain substances attributable to
municipal, industrial or other waste discharges in
concentrations 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, ...
substances that ... settle to form such deposits.
Classes A, SA, B and SB - Public Water Supply and
Recreation. None allowable.
Classes C, Fish & Wildlife Habitat and D, Navigation.
Sludge deposits, floating solids, oils, grease and
scum shall not be allowed except for such small
amounts that may result from the discharge of appro-
priately treated sewage or industrial waste effluent.
Classes SC, Fish & Wildlife Habitat and SD, Navigation.
Criteria are none except that amount that may result
from the discharge of a waste treatment facility providing
appropriate treatment.
The waters of the state shall at all times be free from
substances attributable to sewage, industrial waste,
or other wastes that will settle to form sludge deposits
that are unsightly, putrescent or odorous to such degree
to create a nuisance, or that interfere directly or
indirectly with water uses.
Fish life propagation; cold water permanent 30mg/l.
Fish life propagation; cold water marginal, warm water
permanent, warm water semi-permanent 90mg/l. Fish life
propagation; warm water marginal 150mg/l.
There shall be no distinctly visible solids, scum, foam,
oil slick or the formation of slimes, bottom deposits
or sludge banks of such size or character as may impair
the usefulness of the water for the uses indicated.
All waters of the state shall be essentially free of
floating debris and setteable suspended solids conducive
to the production of putrescible sludge deposits or
sediment layers which would adversely affect benthic
biota or other lawful uses. Essentially free of
settleable suspended solids conducive to changes in the
flow character of stream bottoms, to the untimely filling
of reservoirs and lakes, in which might result in
unnecessary dredging costs.
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Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
District of
Columbia
It shall be unlawful to discharge or place any waste
or other substances in such a way to result in materials
that will settle to form objectionable deposits.
Settleable solids, floating solids, oil, grease, and
scum shall not be discharged except after installation
of an appropriately designed and operated waste treatment
plant as approved by the department.
All classes. Sludge deposits, solid refuse, floating
solids, oil, grease and scum: none other than of
natural origin.
These standards, which apply at all times regardless of
stream use classification adopted by the board are:
Free from substances attributable to sewage, industrial
waste, or other waste that will settle to form sludge
deposits that are unsightly, putrescent or odorous,
to such degree as to create a nuisance or to interfere
directly or indirectly with specified uses of such waters
No requirement found in standards.
No sewage, industrial waste or other waste entering
any of the waters of the state shall cause therein or
materially to contribute to any of the following condi-
tions thereof, which shall be the minimum conditions
allowable: Distinctly visible floating or settleable
solids, scum, foam or oily slicks of unreasonable kind
OT quantity; objectionable deposits on bottom or sludge
banks.
As a result of municipal, industrial, commerical.
domestic, agricultural, land development or other
activities, conditions may rise which will be controlled
by the following standards: Substances that will cause
objectionable deposits on the shore or in the bed of a
body of water, shall not be present in such amounts as
to create a nuisance; floating or submerged debris,
oil, scum or other material shall not be present in
such amounts as to create a nuisance.
All water of the state shall be essentially free from
substances of other than natural origin that will settle
to form sludge, bank or bottom deposits.
All waters of the District of Columbia shall at all
times be free from substances attributable to sewage,
industrial waste, or other waste that will settle to
form sludge deposits that are unsightly, putrescent or
odorous to such degree as to create a nuisance, or that
interfere directly or indirectly with water uses.
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Guam
Puerto Rico
Virgin
Islands
All waters shall be free from materials attributable to
sewage, industrial waste, or other waste that will
produce visible turbidity or settle to form deposits.
Class SA - Preservation of existing natural phenomena.
Existing natural conditions shall not be altered.
Class SC - Recreation. Coastal waters shall be free of
floating solids, settleable solids, oil, sludge deposits
attributable to municipal, industrial or other waste
discharges.
Class SB - Propagation of marine life. Coastal waters
shall not contain floating solids, settleable solids,
oils, sludge deposits that are readily visible and
attributable to municipal, industrial or other wastes
or which increase the amount of these constituents
in receiving waters.
Class SE - Industrial Use. Water shall not contain
floating solids, settleable solids, oils, and sludge
deposits which are readily visible and attributable
to municipal, industrial, or other waste or which
increase the amounts of these constituents in receiving
waters or any other material or waste that would inter-
fer with the aesthetics of these waters.
All waters shall be free from substances attributable
to municipal, industrial or other discharges that will
settle to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable
sludge deposits.
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