Alaska Criteria Development Progress
This page provides information about the progress Alaska has made towards the development of numeric criteria and shows what statewide and site-specific criteria are currently in effect.
Note: The information on the tabs below reflects the information available on EPA’s
Water Quality Standards Repository. The criteria presented here will be updated as new water quality standards documents are posted to the Repository.
Numeric Criteria Development
The information presented below gives a summary of state progress towards the development of numeric criteria. The information comes from EPA’s “State Adoption of Numeric Nutrient Standards (1998-2008)” report, current water quality standards, program activity measures, and nutrient criteria development plans. Links to the Alaska’s Nutrient Criteria Plan and state water quality standards are also provided.
Existing Numeric Criteria
| Waterbody Type | N | P | Chl-a | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakes and Reservoirs | ||||
| Rivers and Streams | ||||
| Estuaries | ||||
| Wetlands |
S = Statewide W = For selected waterbody N ⁄ A=Not Applicable
Note: See Statewide Criteria and Site-specific Criteria tabs for more information.
Links to Numeric Nutrient Criteria Plan and Existing Nutrient Criteria
Plan:
WQS: Alaska Water Quality Standards
Alaska Division of Water: Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring Exit
Milestone Information
Milestone information updated July 2012.
Milestone |
Rivers and Streams | Lakes and Reservoirs | Estuaries and Coastal Waters | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TN | TP | TN | TP | TN | TP | |
| Planning for criteria development | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided |
| Collection of information and data | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided |
| Analysis of information and data | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided |
| Proposal of criteria | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided |
| Adoption of criteria | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided | No date provided |
TN: Total Nitrogen; TP: Total Phosphorus
Statewide Criteria
The information on this tab shows EPA-approved nutrient criteria for Alaska’s waterbodies. The language presented below comes directly from state water quality standards and applies to all waterbodies within the state (unless a waterbody type or designated use is noted). Criteria applicable to specific waterbodies within the state can be found on the “Site-specific Criteria” tab. For more information, refer to the Alaska water quality standards.
The following information reflects From Alaska’s water quality standards posted to the Water Quality Standards Repository as of November 2010 (EPA-approved February 2004).
18 AAC 70.020. Protected water use classes and subclasses; water quality criteria; water quality standards table.
Water Quality Standards for Fresh Water Uses
Pollutant and Water Use Criteria
(1) Color, for Fresh Water Uses
| (A) Water Supply (i) drinking, culinary, and food processing |
May not exceed 15 color units or the natural condition, whichever is greater. |
| (A) Water Supply (iii) aquaculture |
May not exceed 50 color units or the natural condition, whichever is greater. |
| (A) Water Supply (iv) industrial |
May not cause detrimental effects on established water supply treatment levels. |
| (B) Water Recreation (i) contact recreation |
Same as (1)(A)(i). |
| (B) Water Recreation (ii) secondary recreation |
May not interfere with or make the water unfit or unsafe for the use. |
| (C) Growth and Propagation of Fish, Shellfish, Other Aquatic Life, and Wildlife | Color or apparent color may not reduce the depth of the compensation point for photosynthetic activity by more than 10% from the seasonally established norm for aquatic life. For all waters without a seasonally established norm for aquatic life, color or apparent color may not exceed 50 color units or the natural condition, whichever is greater. |
(11) Toxic and Other Deleterious Organic and Inorganic Substances, for Fresh Water Uses
| (A) Water Supply (iii) aquaculture |
Same as (11)(C). |
| (C) Growth and Propagation of Fish, Shellfish, Other Aquatic Life, and Wildlife | The concentration of substances in water may not exceed the criteria shown in Table III and in Table V, column B of the Alaska Water Quality Criteria Manual (see note 5), or any chronic and acute criteria established in this chapter, for a toxic pollutant of concern to protect sensitive and biologically important life stages of resident species of this state. There may be no concentrations of toxic substances in water or in shoreline or bottom sediments, that, singly or in combination, cause, or reasonably can be expected to cause, adverse effects on aquatic life or produce undesirable or nuisance aquatic life, except as authorized by this chapter. Substances may not be present in concentrations that individually or in combination impart undesirable odor or taste to fish or other aquatic organisms, as determined by either bioassay or organoleptic tests. |
(13) Color, for Marine Water Uses
| (A) Water Supply (i) aquaculture |
May not exceed 50 color units or the natural condition, whichever is greater. |
| (A) Water Supply (ii) seafood processing |
May not exceed 15 color units or the natural condition, whichever is greater. |
| (B) Water Recreation (i) contact recreation |
Same as (13)(A)(ii). |
| (B) Water Recreation (ii) secondary recreation |
Surface waters must be free of substances that produce objectionable color. |
| (C) Growth and Propagation of Fish, Shellfish, Other Aquatic Life, and Wildlife | Color or apparent color may not reduce the depth of the compensation point for photosynthetic activity by more than 10% from the seasonally established norm for aquatic life. For all waters without a seasonally established norm for aquatic life, color or apparent color may not exceed 50 color units or the natural condition, whichever is greater. |
| (D) Harvesting for Consumption of Raw Mollusks or Other Raw Aquatic Life | Same as (13)(C). |
(23) Toxic and Other Deleterious Organic and Inorganic Substances, for Marine Water Uses
| (A) Water Supply (iii) aquaculture |
Same as (23)(C). |
| (C) Growth and Propagation of Fish, Shellfish, Other Aquatic Life, and Wildlife | The concentration of substances in water may not exceed the criteria shown in Table IV and in Table V, column B of the Alaska Water Quality Criteria Manual (see note 5), or any chronic and acute criteria established in this chapter, for a toxic pollutant of concern, to protect sensitive and biologically important life stages of resident species of this state. There may be no concentrations of toxic substances in water or in shoreline or bottom sediments, that, singly or in combination, cause, or reasonably can be expected to cause, adverse effects on aquatic life or produce undesirable or nuisance aquatic life, except as authorized by this chapter. Substances may not be present in concentrations that individually or in combination impart undesirable odor or taste to fish or other aquatic organisms, as determined by either bioassay or organoleptic tests. |
| (D) Harvesting for Consumption of Raw Mollusks or Other Raw Aquatic Life | Same as (23)(C). |
(24) Turbidity, for Marine Water Uses
(C) Growth and Propagation of Fish, Shellfish, Other Aquatic Life, and Wildlife:
- May not reduce the depth of the compensation point for photosynthetic activity by more than 10%. May not reduce the maximum secchi disk depth by more than 10%.
Site-specific Criteria
The information on this tab shows EPA-approved site-specific nutrient criteria for Alaska’s waterbodies. Criteria on this page apply only to the waterbodies listed below. Criteria applicable to all waterbodies within the state are found on the “Statewide Criteria” tab. For more information, refer to the Alaska water quality standards.
The following information reflects From Alaska’s water quality standards posted to the Water Quality Standards Repository as of November 2010 (EPA-approved February 2004).
None.