Toolkit of Resources to Assist States with Adopting and Implementing Numeric Nutrient Criteria
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This toolkit compiles available Agency resources to facilitate state adoption of numeric nutrient criteria. It includes information on: criteria and standards development; water quality monitoring, assessment, reporting, and planning; permitting, WQBELs, and trading; economics and financing; and communications materials. This dynamic toolkit will be updated as new Agency materials are developed.
The Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) has developed a companion Nutrient Toolkit page, where state materials—similar in content to the Federal materials on this EPA toolkit—will be housed. ACWA’s preliminary state toolkit was developed in partnership with the EPA.
For further information on states' and territories' progress in adopting numeric nutrient criteria see our State Development of Numeric Criteria for Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution website, and for information on state nutrient data, see the Nutrient Indicators Dataset.
Useful public content for understanding the role that numeric nutrient criteria can play in creating and protecting clean water bodies is available at the EPA Nutrient Pollution website.
Criteria Documents
- Actions to Help States Address Barriers to Numeric Nutrient Criteria Implementation (2012-2014)
- Preventing Eutrophication: Scientific Support for Dual Nutrient Criteria
- Guiding principles for integrated nutrient criteria (bioconfirmation)
- Expert Workshop: Nutrient Enrichment Indicators in Streams
- Multiple discharger variance FAQs
- Nutrient criteria technical guidance manuals: Lakes/Reservoirs, Rivers/Streams, Wetlands, Estuaries/Coastal waters
- Revised water quality standards handbook
- Revised water quality standards regulations
- Stressor–response guidance for nutrient-based criteria
- Technical support compendium for numeric nutrient criteria
- “What is a new or revised water quality standard under CWA 303(c)(3)?” - FAQs (PDF)(4 pp, 111 K)
Water Quality Monitoring, Assessment, Reporting, and Planning
- AQUATOX
- Impaired waters and TMDLs
- Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution data access tool (NPDAT)
- Nonpoint source pollution management
- Water quality monitoring and assessment
Permitting, WQBELs, and Trading Guidance
- Case study of four wastewater treatment facilities in the Assabet River watershed who upgraded operations to meet phosphorus limits (PDF) (14 pp, 984 K)
- OWM Emerging Technologies for Wastewater Treatment report
- Compliance Schedules for Water Quality-Based Effluent Limitations
- Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) pollutant loading tool
- Case Studies on Implementing Low-Cost Modifications to Improve Nutrient Reduction at Wastewater Treatment Plants
- Nutrient control design manual, state of technology review report
- Nutrient Removal in Lagoon/Pond Treatment Systems, EPA ORD (PDF) (457 pp, 11 MB)
- OWM Water Quality Trading Toolkit
Economics/Financing
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
- Compendium of Clean Water Act financing
- Compilation of cost data associated with the impacts and control of nutrient pollution
- report
- Complication of cost data spreadsheet (excel)(1 pg, 10 K)
- EPA spreadsheet tools to evaluate economic impacts for variances, use attainability analyses, and antidegradation
- spreadsheet tools (excel)(1 pg, 376 K)
- USDA Farm Service Agency Grants
- Water pollution control program grants (section 106)
Communications Materials
- Together, We Can All Help Restore Great Bay (Region 1 RA, op-ed) (PDF)(8 pp, 3 MB)
- Community nutrient outreach website
- EPA nutrient management webinars