Middle St. Johns - Florida Department of Environmental Protection

196 Water Quality Assessment Report: Middle St. Johns
Appendix A: Legislative and Regulatory Background on the
Watershed Management Approach and the
Implementation of TMDLs
Federal and State Legislation on Surface Water Quality and TMDLs
Clean Water Act
Congress enacted the Clean Water Act in 1972 with the goal of restoring and
maintaining the “chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters” (33
U.S.C. § 1251[a]). The ultimate goal of the act is to eliminate the “discharge of [all]
pollutants into navigable waters” (33 U.S.C. § 1251[a][1]).
Section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act requires states to report biennially to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on their water quality. The 305(b) assessment
report provides information on the physical, chemical, biological, and cultural features of
each river basin in Florida. This initial assessment provides a common factual basis for
identifying information sources and major issues, and for determining the future changes,
strategies, and actions needed to preserve, protect, and/or restore water quality.
Understanding the physical framework of each basin allows the development of a
science-based methodology for assessing water quality and an accurate picture of the
waters that are most impaired or vulnerable to contamination.
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires states to submit to the EPA lists of
surface waters that do not meet applicable water quality standards and establish total
maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for each of these waters on a schedule. A pollution limit
is then allocated to each pollutant source in an individual river basin.
A TMDL represents the maximum amount of a given pollutant that a waterbody can
assimilate and meet all of its designated uses (see Noteworthy on Florida’s surface water
quality classifications for a listing of these classifications). A waterbody that does not
meet its designated use is defined as impaired.
NOTEWORTHY: FLORIDA’S SURFACE WATER QUALITY CLASSIFICATIONS
Florida’s water quality standards program, the foundation of the state’s program of water quality
management, designates the “present and future most beneficial uses” of the waters of the state
(Subsection 403.061[10], F.S.). Water quality criteria, expressed as numeric or narrative limits for
specific parameters, describe the water quality necessary to maintain these uses for surface
water and ground water. Florida’s surface water is protected for five designated use
classifications, as follows:
Class I
Class II
Class III
Class IV
Class V
Potable water supplies
Shellfish propagation or harvesting
Recreation, propagation, and maintenance of a healthy, well-balanced
population of fish and wildlife
Agricultural water supplies
Navigation, utility, and industrial use (there are no state waters currently in
this class)