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Criteria Development Guidance

Rivers and Streams

EPA-822-B-00-002; July 2000

The Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams is one in a series of waterbody-specific documents that support the National Nutrient Strategy. The intent of this document is to provide States and Tribes with methods to assess waterbody nutrient impairment and develop ecoregion-specific nutrient criteria. The Rivers and Streams document provides background information on classifying rivers and streams, selecting criteria variables, designing monitoring programs, building a database analyzing nutrient and algal data, deriving regional criteria, and implementing management practices.

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

Federal Register Notice (July 27, 2000)

Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams

You can download the full Rivers and Streams document (PDF) (253 pages, 2.7 MB); if you prefer, individual sections are also available:

Water Quality Criteria | Water Quality Standards


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