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Looking Glass River Watershed Management Plan - Greater ...

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consequently in food available to fish. Embeddedness refers to the extent to<br />

which gravel and cobbles are surrounded or covered by fine sediment.<br />

Indicators<br />

Direct measurement of the amount of sediment moving in the watercourse<br />

may be measured as the suspended solids (TSS), dissolved solids (TDS) and<br />

the bedload. Turbidity indirectly measures the amount of sediment by<br />

considering the amount of light passable through the water column.<br />

Conductivity may also be used to indirectly measure the dissolved solids.<br />

In addition, indicators such as the embeddedness and fish and benthic<br />

macroinvertebrate population and diversity may also be used as indicators<br />

of sediment.<br />

Water Quality Standards<br />

Water quality standards in Michigan are provided under the Administrative<br />

Rules Part 4 Water Quality Standards, promulgated pursuant to Part 31 of<br />

the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451 as<br />

amended. Applicable standards include:<br />

Rule 50. The waters of the state shall not have any of the following unnatural<br />

physical properties in quantities which are or may become injurious to any<br />

designated use:<br />

• Turbidity<br />

• Color<br />

• Oil films<br />

• Floating solids<br />

• Foams<br />

• Settleable solids<br />

• Suspended solids<br />

• Deposits<br />

Rule 51. The addition of any dissolved solids shall not exceed concentrations which<br />

are or may become injurious to any designated use. Point sources containing<br />

dissolved solids shall be considered by the commission on a case-by-case basis and<br />

increases of dissolved solids in the waters of the state shall be limited through the<br />

application of best practicable control technology currently available as prescribed by<br />

the administrator of the United States environmental protection agency pursuant to<br />

section 304(b) of Public Law 92-500, as amended, 33 U.S.C. §466 et seq., except that<br />

in no instance shall total dissolved solids in the waters of the state exceed a<br />

concentration of 500 milligrams per liter as a monthly average nor more than 750<br />

milligrams per liter at any time, as a result of controllable point sources.<br />

Rule 90. Applicability of water quality standards.<br />

(1) The requirements prescribed by these rules shall not apply within mixing zones,<br />

except for the requirements prescribed in R 323.1050, or as otherwise specified by<br />

these rules.<br />

(2) Water quality standards prescribed by these rules are minimally acceptable water<br />

quality conditions and shall apply at all flows equal to or exceeding the design flows,<br />

except where the department determines that a more restrictive design flow is<br />

necessary. The design flows in lotic systems shall be as follows: (a) unless otherwise<br />

stated in this rule, the design flow is equal to the lowest of the 12 monthly 95%<br />

exceedance flows. The 95% exceedance flow is the flow equal to or exceeded 95% of<br />

Section 5: Stressor Summary 5-5

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