EPA’s Recommended Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Nutrients
EPA has published recommended water quality criteria that states and authorized tribes can use to develop geographically relevant criteria to help protect the designated uses of their water bodies from excess nutrients. Since the early 2000s, EPA has worked with states and authorized tribes to adopt region-specific and locally appropriate water quality criteria for nutrients in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, estuaries, coastal marine waters, and wetlands. EPA also provides technical assistance with criteria development via N-STEPS.