WRIA 62 WMP 032305 - Washington State Department of Ecology

March, 2005 -65- 023-1289-003.3040
Assessment tells a more complete story about the condition of Washington’s waters. The draft Water
Quality Assessment breaks water bodies into the following categories:
• Category 1 – Meets standards for clean waters.
• Category 2 – Waters of Concern. In these waterbodies, there is some evidence that there
may be a water quality problem, but not enough evidence to require a TMDL study at this
time. (At least 10% of water quality samples must exceed the standard in order for a
water body segment to be placed on the 303(d) list.) Category 2 waters are waters that
Ecology will continue to test and watch closely.
• Category 3 – No data. This category functions mainly as a placeholder and indicates that
the water quality of the waterbody is unknown.
• Category 4 – Polluted waters that do not require a TMDL either because the impairment
is currently being dealt with through the TMDL process, or because a TMDL would not
adequately address the water quality problem. Category 4 is broken down into the
following sub-categories:
WRIA 62 WMP 032305
1. Category 4a – Has a TMDL.
2. Category 4b – Has a pollution control plan. Pollution control plans are not
TMDLs, but they do have many of the same features as TMDLs and there
must be some legal or financial guarantee that they will be implemented.
3. Category 4c – Impaired by a non-pollutant. The water quality problems in
these waterbodies cannot be solved through the TMDL process. Examples of
impairments that can cause Category 4c listing include low flows, stream
channelization, habitat conditions, or dams.
• Category 5 – Polluted waters that require a TMDL (commonly called the “303(d) list”)
(Roughly 10% of water quality samples taken must exceed the standard in order for a
waterbody to be placed in Category 5).
It is the intent of the Watershed Planning Unit to review Ecology’s current water quality assessment
and use it to identify waterbodies where projects may be implemented to address this issue. In
addition, it was agreed that the Watershed Planning Implementing Body will coordinate with other
past, ongoing and planned efforts within WRIA 62 (such as TMDLs and FERC relicensing efforts) to
avoid duplication and inconsistencies.
If the Watershed Planning Implementing Body wishes to protect and/or clean up a water body in
WRIA 62 that is on the 303(d) list (defined as Category 5 in the new standards), the Implementing
Body may develop a water quality clean-up plan. However, if the waterbody is listed as a Category 2
(waters of concern), then the Watershed Planning Implementing Body may develop a monitoring plan
to confirm the suspected water quality problem, and if confirmed may then go on to develop a water
quality clean-up plan. If a clean-up plan is approved by Ecology, the waterbody may be moved to a
Category 4b and a TMDL may not be needed. Additional information on Ecology’s listing policy,
entitled “Assessment of Water Quality for the Section 303(d) List can be found on the internet at:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/303d/2002/303d_policy_final.pdf. Information on the location
of Category 5 and Category 2 water bodies is included within the Phase II, Level 2 technical
assessment (Golder, 2005).