Mid-Atlantic Water

The Integrated Report combines two water quality reports required under sections 305(b) and 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act. Historically, the 303(d) list and the 305(b) report were submitted to the EPA as separate documents, but recent guidance has called for merging these two reports into a single biennial publication called the Integrated Report (IR). The IR is due to EPA on April 1 of every even numbered year.

1. Identify the waters that require TMDLs (total maximum daily loads);
2. Rank, or prioritize, those waters taking into consideration the water uses and severity of the pollution problem;
3. Identify the pollutant(s) causing or expected to cause violations of the applicable water quality standards; and
4. Identify the waters targeted for TMDL development in the next two years.

Section 305(b) of the Federal Clean Water Act requires each state to also deliver a water quality characterization or water quality assessment of state waters, known as the 305(b) report. The states use information from a wide variety of sources for evaluation and inclusion in the 305(b) report. The state 305(b) reports are considered to be a primary source of information used to compile the states' IR category 5 list/303(d) list.

The 305(b) reports are based on water quality information on streams, lakes, reservoirs and estuaries. The reports must include a description of the water quality of all waterbodies in the state and an analysis of the extent that they are meeting their water quality standards. The report must also recommend any additional action necessary to achieve the water quality standards and for which waters that action is necessary.

View State Water Quality Assessments