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Last Updated: Wednesday, 15-Oct-2008 09:14:12 EDT

Draft Rules

Note: the documents on this page are in the Adobe Acrobat™, PDF format.  Download a free Adobe Acrobat™ reader for your operating system from Adobe.  If you have problems downloading large PDF files click here.

Water Quality Standards (OAC 3745-1)

The draft rules are available below. Notice has been sent out for interested party review.  After considering comments and making changes, if necessary, to the rules, a public hearing and another public comment period will be scheduled.

Comment Deadline is Extended

A draft rule addressing mitigation requirements for impacts on streams will be made available for review and comment in early 2009. Because the content of that rule relates to parts of the draft Water Quality Standards rules, and to the draft Section 401 Water Quality Certification rules and draft Antidegradation rule, the comment deadline for all four rule packages will be 60 days after the stream mitigation rule is made available. An announcement of the comment deadline will be made when the draft stream mitigation rule is made available.

Click here to download fact sheets (PDF 116K) that summarize the overall scope and likely effects of all four rule packages. A detailed fact sheet, specific to the draft Water Quality Standards rules, is below.

Background

Water quality standards are state regulations or rules that protect lakes, rivers, streams and other surface water bodies from pollution. They contain: beneficial use designations such as warmwater aquatic life habitat, public water supply and primary contact recreation; numeric levels and narrative statements (water quality criteria) protective of the use designations; and procedures for applying the water quality criteria to wastewater dischargers.

Water quality standards serve as: the water quality goals for water uses and cleanliness; the benchmarks to measure and report on meeting Clean Water Act goals; the water quality targets to meet when setting wastewater permit limits and total maximum daily loads.

Draft rule changes include new beneficial use designations for aquatic life, recreation, agricultural drainage and navigation. The draft rule changes also include: incorporation of the national methods for calculating water quality criteria for the protection of human health; new human health criteria for about 135 chemicals (click here to download the draft criteria fact sheets); statewide application of criteria based on maximum contaminant levels; revised criteria for bacteria; and new and revised aquatic life criteria for seven chemicals. See the fact sheet below for more information.

For additional information about Ohio EPA's water quality standards program, visit the Ohio EPA Water Quality Standards Program Web page.

Available documents

Letter to interested parties (PDF 136K)

Fact sheet (PDF 225K)

Draft Rules
For an amended rule text to be deleted is struck out and new text is underlined. For a new rule, all text is underlined. For a rescinded rule, text is left unchanged and “To Be Rescinded” is at the top of the first page of the rule.

Download all the draft rules to be rescinded here (PDF 135K) or download individual rules below.
Download all the draft amended and new rules here (PDF 669K) or download individual rules below.

Rule # Rule Title Action
3745-1-01 Purpose and applicability (PDF 11K) Rescind
3745-1-01 Purpose and applicability (PDF 18K) New
3745-1-02 Definitions (PDF 61K) Amend
3745-1-03 Analytical methods and availability of documents (PDF 19K) Amend
3745-1-04 Criteria applicable to all waters (PDF 17K) Amend
3745-1-07 Water use designations and statewide criteria (PDF 69K) Rescind
3745-1-07 Beneficial use designations (PDF 70K) New
3745-1-31 Lake Erie standards (PDF 12K) Amend
3745-1-32 Ohio river standards (PDF 22K) Rescind
3745-1-32 Ohio river standards (PDF 8K) New
3745-1-33 Water quality criteria for the lake Erie drainage basin (PDF 13K) Rescind
3745-1-34 Water quality criteria for the Ohio river drainage basin (PDF 20K) Rescind
3745-1-35 Site-specific modifications to criteria and values (PDF 18K) Amend
3745-1-36 Methodologies for development of aquatic life criteria and values (PDF 40K) Amend
3745-1-37 Methodology for deriving bioaccumulation factors (PDF 101K) Amend
3745-1-38 Methodologies for development of human health criteria and values (PDF 50K) Amend
3745-1-39 Methodology for the development of wildlife criteria for the lake Erie drainage basin (PDF 45K) Amend
3745-1-40 Water quality criteria for water supply use designations (PDF 81K) New
3745-1-41 Water quality criteria for recreation use designations (PDF 16K) New
3745-1-42 Water quality criteria for the base aquatic life use designation (PDF 105K) New
3745-1-43 Water quality criteria for the tiered aquatic life use designations (PDF 113K) New

See all currently effective rules in Chapter 3745-1 here.

For additional information or to submit comments

Please submit any comments you have on the draft rules in one of the following manners.

   By e-mail:  bob.heitzman@epa.state.oh.us  
   By mail:     Bob Heitzman
                    Ohio EPA
                    Division of Surface Water
                    P.O. Box 1049
                    Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049		  
   By fax:       (614) 644-2745  

If you would like further information about this rulemaking, please contact Dan Dudley at dan.dudley@epa.state.oh.us or by calling (614) 644-2876.

Back to Draft and Proposed Rules page.