Special Use Waters in Kentucky

This data set is a representation for the following two Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) programs:DOW Antidegradation Category Waters / WaterbodiesDescription: 401 KAR 10:030 places some waters into the Antidegradation Categories of Outstanding National Resource Water (ONRW) or Exceptional Water (EXC). Waters included in this layer are: 1.) Outstanding National Resource Waters (ONRW), which are waters that meet the requirements for the outstanding state resource water designated use and are of national ecological or recreational significance and 2.) Exceptional Water (EXC), which are certain waters whose quality exceeds that necessary to support propagation of fish, shellfish and wildlife and recreation in and on the water. Waters placed in the EXC category are reference reach waters, Kentucky Wild Rivers, some Outstanding State Resource Waters, and waters with "excellent" fish or macroinvertebrate communities. Additionally, some of these waters may be tagged with the Reference Reach (RR) indicator. Reference Reach waters are a representative subpopulation of the least-impacted streams within a bioregion. These streams serve as chemical, physical and biological models from which to determine the degree of impairment (physical, chemical or biological) to similar stream systems in each representative bioregion. These are not necessarily pristine streams, but represent those least-disturbed conditions that are attainable in each bioregion. DOW Designated Use Waters / Waterbodies Description: 401 KAR 10:026 applies the special designated uses of Cold Water Aquatic Habitat (CAH) and/or Outstanding State Resource Water (OSRW) to some surface waters of the Commonwealth. Waters included in this layer are: 1.) Cold Water Aquatic Habitat (CAH), which means surface waters and associated substrate that will support indigenous aquatic life, or self-sustaining or reproducing trout populations, on a year-round basis; 2.) Outstanding State Resource Water (OSRW) water, which means surface waters designated by the cabinet pursuant to 401 KAR 10:031, Section 8 and includes certain unique waters of the Commonwealth; 3.) CAH, OSRW waters, which are waters that fall under both of CAH and OSRW designated uses; 4.) OSRW-Threatened/Endangered (T/E) species waters, which are OSRWs with federally threatened or endangered species; and 5.) OSRW-T/E, CAH, which are OSRWs that are also CAH and support T/E species. Download spatial layer on [Box]. --- Special-use waters are waters listed in Kentucky Administrative Regulations that are worthy of additional protection. There are two basic categories of special-use waters: those that have higher “Designated Use” protections and those that have higher “Antidegradation” protections. Higher designated uses are “Cold Water Aquatic Habitat” (CAH) and “Outstanding State Resource Water” (OSRW). CAHmeans surface waters and associated substrate that will support indigenous aquatic life, or self-sustaining or reproducing trout populations, on a year-round basis (401 KAR 10:031, Section 4). OSRWmeans surface waters designated by the cabinet pursuant to 401 KAR 10:031, Section 8, and includes certain unique waters of the Commonwealth, including Kentucky Wild Rivers, Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers, and waters supporting federally recognized threatened or endangered species. A water can have both the “CAH” and “OSRW” designation. A water with the tag of “T/E” indicates an OSRW that supports federally threatened or endangered species. Higher antidegradation protection categories include “Outstanding National Resource Water” (ONRW) and “Exceptional Water” (EXC). ONRWs are waters that meet the requirements for an OSRW and demonstrate national ecological or recreational significance. EXCare certain waters whose quality exceeds that necessary to support propagation of fish, shellfish and wildlife and recreation in and on the water. Waters placed in this category are reference reach waters (RR), Kentucky Wild Rivers, some OSRWs and waters with excellent fish or macroinvertebrate communities (401 KAR 10:030 Section 1). RRwaters are a representative subpopulation of the least impacted streams within a bioregion. These streams serve as chemical, physical and biological models from which to determine the degree of impairment (physical, chemical or biological) to similar stream systems in each representative bioregion. These are not necessarily pristine streams, but represent those least disturbed conditions that are attainable in each bioregion. Any water identified as “candidate” is a water identified for a higher designated use or antidegradation category but has not yet been promulgated.