Bioassessment and Biocriteria Program Status for Ute Mountain Ute Tribe: Streams and Wadeable Rivers
State Program Contact
Ute Mountain Ute Environmental Department
Water Quality Standards
WQS Information
The link to Ute Mountain Ute Tribe's WQS that are in effect for Clean Water Act purposes is provided. These are the WQS approved by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe provided information and links to sections of their administrative code on designated aquatic life use, biological criteria, antidegradation as well as technical support documents and information on its bioassessment and biocriteria programs. These are included for your convenience and may or may not reflect the most recent EPA-approved WQS.
Designated Aquatic Life Uses
Temperature-based warm and cold waters that support water species of aquatic life, including associated benthic macroinvertebrate communities.
- Cold Water Aquatic Life
- Warm Water Aquatic Life
Biological Criteria
__X__ Narrative statement
_____ Numeric
_____ No criteria
The overall goal of the biological criterion of the Tribe is to maintain and support the structure and function of aquatic communities in conditions similar to reference sites or reference conditions that are determined by the Tribe
Antidegradation Policy
Use of biocriteria or bioassessment not included in antidegradation policy.
Biological Assessment
What biological assemblages are used in the bioassessment program?
Benthic macroinvertebrates, fish, and periphyton
Are bioassessments used to support 303(d) listings?
No
How are assemblages used to make impairment decisions?
Used generally and holistically (all together with water chemistry data, habitat data)
Other uses of biocriteria or bioassessment within the water quality program:
Non-point source assessments and 305(b) surface water condition assessments
Technical Support Information and Documents
Reference condition
Reference site: A site or water body which is determined by the Tribe to be representative of sites or waterbodies of similar type, and are least impaired with respect to habitat, water quality, watershed land use, and riparian and biological condition.
Reference condition: A physical, biological and chemical condition that is determined by the Tribe to be characteristic of minimally impaired conditions with respect to habitat, water quality, watershed land use, and riparian and biological condition in lieu of an unimpaired reference site. A reference condition may be assigned as a goal for the biological community if there is an insufficient number of reference sites or if those sites become impaired. Data for a reference condition will be treated in the same manner as if it were a reference site.
Biocriteria
Not available
Stressor identification/causal analysis approach
Stressor identification