Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Estuaries, Coastal Waters, and South Florida Inland Flowing Waters

Resumo

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is proposing numeric water quality criteria to protect ecological systems, aquatic life, and human health from nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in estuaries and coastal waters within the State of Florida not covered by EPA-approved State rulemaking, and south Florida inland flowing waters. These proposed criteria apply to Florida waters that are designated as Class I, Class II, or Class III waters and they are intended to protect these designated uses as well as implement for the purposes of the Clean Water Act the State's narrative nutrient provision at Subsection 62-302.530(47)(b), Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), which provides that "[i]n no case shall nutrient concentrations of a body of water be altered so as to cause an imbalance in natural populations of aquatic flora or fauna."