Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Lakes and Flowing Waters; Withdrawal

요약

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing its withdrawal of federal water quality standards applicable to waters of the state of Florida now that Florida has adopted and EPA has approved relevant state standards. On December 6, 2010, EPA published a rule finalizing numeric nutrient standards for Florida's lakes, springs, and flowing waters outside of the South Florida Nutrient Watershed Region. The EPA established these water quality standards to protect Florida's Class I and III freshwaters from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. On November 30, 2012, June 27, 2013, and September 26, 2013, EPA approved numeric nutrient standards adopted by the state of Florida for certain waters in the state. Some of the water body types and provisions covered by state- adopted water quality standards were also included in EPA's final inland waters rule (criteria for Florida's lakes and springs, approaches to protect downstream lakes, and a provision for developing Site-Specific Alternative Criteria). The EPA is now withdrawing the overlapping federally-promulgated water quality standards to allow Florida to implement its state-adopted, EPA-approved water quality standards to address