Technical Support for Numeric Nutrient Water Quality Criteria Development
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed a number of resources to help states, territories and Tribes with developing criteria. In March 2011, the EPA issued a comprehensive framework to assist states, territories, and Tribes in addressing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.
With respect to the framework, our goal is to assist in the development of numeric nitrogen and phosphorus criteria, which will help states, territories and Tribes move toward adopting water quality standards for nitrogen and phosphorus. Additionally, the EPA has published technical resources, such as technical guidance documents that describe the techniques for developing numeric criteria for nitrogen and phosphorus pollution for different water bodies, technical documents describing ecoregional criteria, online databases and clearinghouses, and data concerning impaired waters and TMDLs.
Technical Support Documents and Resources
- Nutrient Scientific Technical Exchange Partnership and Support (N-STEPS)
- Nutrient Criteria Development Documents
- The EPA’s Recommended Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Nutrients
Other Resources
- Overview of Numeric Nutrient Criteria Development for Scientific and Technical Assistance Groups
- Development of User Perception Surveys to Protect Water Quality from Nutrient Pollution: A Primer on Common Practices and Insights (pdf)
- Preventing Eutrophication: Scientific Support for Dual Nutrient Criteria Fact Sheet (pdf)
- BMP and Treatment Technologies Clearinghouse
- How’s My Waterway
- Implementation Frequent Questions