Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
(a) There
are two classes of waters within the Interstate Environmental District: class A
and class B. Each class is divided into subclasses. The requirements of section
550.1 of this Part shall apply to
all waters within the Interstate Environmental District. In addition, each
subclass of the waters shall meet the requirements and be available for the
uses as provided for that subclass.
(b) It is the underlying principle of these
regulations that each class and subclass of waters within the Interstate
Environmental District is to be suitable for its best intended uses and that
all waters are to be protected, maintained, and improved to the end that they
will afford as satisfactory conditions as possible for the maintenance and
restoration of the natural ecosystems. It is also recognized that different
classifications of waters are appropriate for different areas because of
varying activities such as are associated with industry, commerce (including
waterborne transportation), recreation, and aesthetic enjoyment. All waters
should be aesthetic assets and should, at a minimum, be available for those
recreational uses which do not bring the human body into direct contact with
the water.
(c)
(1) Streams and other waterbodies shall have
a minimum dissolved oxygen content in accordance with their respective
classifications as follows:
(i) A: Dissolved
Oxygen: 5 milligrams per liter;
(ii) B-1: Dissolved Oxygen: 4 milligrams per
liter;
(iii) B-2: Dissolved Oxygen:
3 milligrams per liter.
(2) In addition to meeting the requirements
set forth in paragraph (1) of this subdivision, waters shall in all respects be
suitable for their best intended uses as follows:
(i) A: Suitable for all forms of primary and
secondary contact recreation and for fish propagation. In designated areas,
they also shall be suitable for shellfish harvesting.
(ii) B-1: Suitable for fishing and secondary
contact recreation. They shall be suitable for the growth and maintenance of
fish life and other forms of marine life naturally occurring therein, but may
not be suitable for fish propagation.
(iii) B-2: Suitable for passage of anadromous
fish and for the maintenance of fish life in a manner consistent with the
criteria established in section
550.1(a)-(b) of
this Part.
(d) As used in this Part:
(1) Primary contact recreation means
recreational activity that involves significant ingestion risk, including but
not limited to wading, swimming, diving, surfing and water skiing.
(2) Secondary contact recreation means
recreational activity in which the probability of significant contact with the
water or water ingestion is minimal, including but not limited to boating,
fishing, and shoreline recreational activity involving limited contact with
surface waters.
(e)
Effluents discharged or flowing into waters of any class shall meet the
requirements provided in this Part. The effluent limitation values contained in
paragraph (2) of this subdivision are geometric means, and in paragraphs (3)
and (4) of this subdivision are arithmetic means. Industrial effluent
limitation values are for process water volume. Any contaminants taken into the
discharger's plant or process from the waters of the Interstate Environmental
District shall not be charged against the effluent quality in computing the
values for compliance with these regulations.
(1) pH within the range from 6.0 to 9.0 may
be required if the receiving waters are outside this range.
(2) Fecal coliform content shall not exceed
200 per 100 ml on a 30-consecutive-day average; 400 per 100 ml on a
7-consecutive-day average; and 800 per 100 ml on a 6-consecutive-hour average,
but no sample may contain more than 2,400 per 100 ml. The only portion of the
Interstate Environmental District to which this provision shall not apply at
all times is that referred to in section
550.3(a)(2) of
this Part. For the aforementioned portion of the district, these disinfection
requirements shall apply when disinfection is required to protect the best
intended uses of the waters in question. For example, in the case of discharge
into waters used primarily for bathing, this bacterial standard need not be
required except during the bathing season.
(3) Biochemical oxygen demand shall not
exceed 30 mg/l on a 30-consecutive-day average, 45 mg/l on a 7-consecutive-day
average, and 50 mg/l on a 6- consecutive-hour average. Further, all sewage or
other polluting matter discharged or permitted to flow into waters of the
district shall first have been so treated as to effect a reduction in the
oxygen demand of the effluent sufficient to maintain the dissolved oxygen
content in the waters of the district, and in the general vicinity of the point
of discharge of the sewage or other polluting matter into those waters, at a
depth of about five feet below the surface, of not less than the dissolved
oxygen concentration set forth in subdivision (c) of this section.
(4) Total suspended solids content shall not
exceed 30 mg/l on a 30- consecutive-day average, 45 mg/l on a 7-consecutive-day
average, and 50 mg/l on a 6-consecutive-hour average.
(5) Effluents shall contain no floating
solids.
(6) All wastes shall be of
a character that will not violate or cause violation of the requirements
contained in section
550.1 of this Part.
(7) An effluent discharge which does not
satisfy the requirements of the commission shall not be considered to be in
violation thereof if caused by temporary excess flows due to storm water
conveyed to treatment plants through combined sewer systems, provided that the
discharger is operating the facility with reasonable care, maintenance and
efficiency, and has acted and continues to act with due diligence and speed to
correct the condition resulting from the storm water flow.
(f) Unless there has been rainfall in greater
than trace amounts or significant melting of frozen precipitation during the
immediately preceding 24 hours, no discharges to the waters of the Interstate
Environmental District shall occur from combined sewer regulating
devices.
