Skip to Main Content

Maryland's Surface Water Quality Standards

 

Notice of the 2019 Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards

The Department would like to announce this notice of its intent to conduct Maryland's 2019 Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards. This notice is meant to provide the public with an overview of the changes to water quality standards that the Department is considering and to provide an early opportunity for the public to submit comments and/or recommendations. This notice is accessible at the link below and is also provided in the August 16th edition of the Maryland Register.
 
 
Please submit all comments, questions, or recommendations to Timothy Fox (phone: 410-537-3958) at tim.fox@maryland.gov​, by fax at 410-537-3998, or by mail to
Timothy Fox 
Water and Science Administration 
Maryland Department of the Environment
1800 Washington Blvd
Baltimore, MD 21230   
 

What are water quality standards?

The purpose of water quality standards is to protect, maintain and improve the quality of Maryland surface waters. The following make up the three components of water quality standards:
 
  • Designated Uses,
  • Water quality criteria, and
  • Antidegradation policy.
 

What are Designated Uses?

A designated use is a goal for water quality. Typically, the goal is the description of an appropriate intended use by humans and/or aquatic life for a water body. Designated uses for a particular waterbody may include recreation, shellfishing, water supply and/or aquatic life habitat. The designated uses established may or may not be met currently, but must be attainable. In Maryland these designated uses are grouped into "Use Classes" (e.g. Use Class I, I-P, II, III, IV-P) so as to describe a unique combination of designated uses that apply to a single water body. Each stream segment, lake, bay, etc. in Maryland is assigned to a use class.
 

For more detailed information about Maryland’s designated uses and use class groupings, please click HERE. To go directly to maps of surface waters and their associated use classes, please click HERE.

 

Water Quality Criteria 

  • Numeric criteria set the minimum water quality to meet the designated uses.
  • Maryland has numerous numeric criteria for protection of aquatic life and human health (e.g., 5 milligrams/liter for dissolved oxygen; 82 micrograms/liter for Pb (acute, freshwater)
  • Criteria are published for toxics, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, bacteria, and temperature.
  • Where specific numeric criteria are not available (e.g., oil, grease, odor, nuisance), narrative criteria apply.
  • The Numerical Criteria for Toxic Substances in Surface Waters are provided in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) Section 26.08.02.03-2. They can be accessed through the web at: http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/comarhtml/26/26.08.02.03-2.htm.
  • Water Quality Criteria Specific to Designated Uses, are provided in COMAR Section 26.08.02.03-3. They can be accessed through the web at: http://www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/comarhtml/26/26.08.02.03-3.htm.
 

Antidegradation 

  • Maryland’s antidegradation policy assures that water quality continues to support designated uses.
  • EPA regulations provide for three tiers of protection:
    • Tier 1 specifies the minimum standard that must be met—support of balanced indigenous populations and support of contact recreation—this is often referred to as "fishable-swimmable."
    • Tier 2 protects water that is better than the minimum specified for that designated use. For more information on Maryland's Tier II Antidegradation Policy please click HERE. To go directly to maps of Tier 2 high quality waters, please click HERE. 
    • Maryland is developing the third Tier of protection (Tier 3) called an Outstanding National Resource Water or ONRW.
  • Maryland's Antidegradation Regulations are provided in COMAR Sections 26.08.02.04, 26.08.02.04-1, and 26.08.02.04-2. Click on each hyperlink to access that particular section.
 

Current Water Quality Standards 

For the full text of Maryland Water Quality Standards please visit COMAR 26.08.01 and COMAR 26.08.02. 

 

How are changes to water quality standards made? 

Changes to the Water Quality Standards are implemented through regulatory changes which are subject to the normal promulgation process. Every three years, the Clean Water Act requires that States review their water quality standards in what is called the Triennial Review of Water Quality Standards (TR). The TR includes a robust public participation process prior to adoption of new or revised regulations. This process generally includes an Advanced Notice of Public Rule-Making (ANPRM) and solicitation of comments followed later by a more formal public comment period during which a hearing takes place (the formal comment period and hearing are required). Comments are incorporated and/or responded to in what becomes a public document as part of the TR package that EPA reviews. To see materials from Maryland's most recent Triennial Review actions (2013 and 2016) please click here. Please note that the 2016 TR Notice of Final Action has not yet been submitted to Division of State Documents for final promulgation.  

 

Factsheets 

Current Work

Cold Water Advisory Committee

 

Contact Information 

For more information, please contact Timothy Fox at tim.fox@maryland.gov or at (410) 537-3958.​​​