Arizona Administrative Code › Title 18 - ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY › Chapter 11 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY - WATER QUALITY STANDARDS › Article 6 - IMPAIRED WATER IDENTIFICATION › Section R18-11-601 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 28, July 12, 2024
In addition to the definitions established in A.R.S.
				  §§ 49-201 and 49-231, and A.A.C.
				  R18-11-101, the
				  following terms apply to this Article:
1. "303(d) List" means the list of surface waters or segments
				  required under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and A.R.S. Title 49,
				  Chapter 2, Article 2.1, for which TMDLs are developed and submitted to EPA for
				  approval.
2. "Attaining" means there is sufficient, credible, and
				  scientifically defensible data to assess a surface water or segment and the
				  surface water or segment does not meet the definition of impaired or not
				  attaining.
3. "AZPDES" means the Arizona Pollutant Elimination Discharge
				  System.
4. "Credible and scientifically defensible data" means data
				  submitted, collected, or analyzed using:
a. Quality assurance and quality control procedures under
				  A.A.C.
				  R18-11-602;
b. Samples or analyses representative of water quality
				  conditions at the time the data were collected;
c. Data consisting of an adequate number of samples based on
				  the nature of the water in question and the parameters being analyzed;
				  and
d. Methods of sampling and analysis, including analytical,
				  statistical, and modeling methods that are generally accepted and validated by
				  the scientific community as appropriate for use in assessing the condition of
				  the water.
5. "Designated use" means those uses specified in 18 A.A.C.
				  11, Article 1 for each surface water or segment whether or not they are
				  attaining.
6. "EPA" means the U.S. Environmental Protection
				  Agency.
7. "Impaired water" means a Navigable water for which
				  credible scientific data exists that satisfies the requirements of A.R.S.
				  §
									49-232
				  and that demonstrates that the water should be identified pursuant to 33 United
				  States Code § 1313(d) and the regulations implementing that statute.
				  A.R.S. §
									49-231(1).
8. "Laboratory detection limit" means a "Method Reporting
				  Limit" (MRL) or "Reporting Limit" (RL). These analogous terms describe the
				  laboratory reported value, which is the lowest concentration level included on
				  the calibration curve from the analysis of a pollutant that can be quantified
				  in terms of precision and accuracy.
9. "Monitoring entity" means the Department or any person who
				  collects physical, chemical, or biological data used for an impaired water
				  identification or a TMDL decision.
10. "Naturally occurring condition" means the condition of a
				  surface water or segment that would have occurred in the absence of pollutant
				  loadings as a result of human activity.
11. "Not attaining" means a surface water is assessed as
				  impaired, but is not placed on the 303(d) List because:
a. A TMDL is prepared and implemented for the surface
				  water;
b. An action, which meets the requirements of
				  R18-11-604(D)(2)(h),
				  is occurring and is expected to bring the surface water to attaining before the
				  next 303(d) List submission; or
c. The impairment of the surface water is due to pollution
				  but not a pollutant, for which a TMDL load allocation cannot be
				  developed.
12. "NPDES" means National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
				  System.
13. "Planning List" means a list of surface waters and
				  segments that the Department will review and evaluate to determine if the
				  surface water or segment is impaired and whether a TMDL is necessary.
14. "Pollutant" means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator
				  residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological
				  materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock,
				  sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged
				  into water.
				  33
				  U.S.C. 1362(6).
				  Characteristics of water, such as dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity,
				  and suspended sediment are considered pollutants if they result or may result
				  in the non-attainment of a water quality standard.
15. "Pollution" means "the man-made or man-induced alteration
				  of the chemical, physical, biological, and radiological integrity of water."
				  33
				  U.S.C. 1362(19).
16. "QAP" means a quality assurance plan detailing how
				  environmental data operations are planned, implemented, and assessed for
				  quality during the duration of a project.
17. "Sampling event" means one or more samples taken under
				  consistent conditions on one or more days at a distinct station or
				  location.
18. "SAP" means a site specific sampling and analysis plan
				  that describes the specifics of sample collection to ensure that data quality
				  objectives are met and that samples collected and analyzed are representative
				  of surface water conditions at the time of sampling.
19. "Spatially independent sample" means a sample that is
				  collected at a distinct station or location. The sample is independent if the
				  sample was collected:
a. More than 200 meters apart from other samples, or
b. Less than 200 meters apart, and collected to characterize
				  the effect of an intervening tributary, outfall or other pollution source, or
				  significant hydrographic or hydrologic change.
20. "Temporally independent sample" means a sample that is
				  collected at the same station or location more than seven days apart from other
				  samples.
21. "Threatened" means that a surface water or segment is
				  currently attaining its designated use, however, trend analysis, based on
				  credible and scientifically defensible data, indicates that the surface water
				  or segment is likely to be impaired before the next listing cycle.
22. "TMDL" means total maximum daily load.
23. "TMDL decision" means a decision by the Department to:
a. Prioritize an impaired water for TMDL development,
b. Develop a TMDL for an impaired water, or
c. Develop a TMDL implementation plan.
24. "Total maximum daily load" means an estimation of the
				  total amount of a pollutant from all sources that may be added to a water while
				  still allowing the water to achieve and maintain applicable surface water
				  quality standards. Each total maximum daily load shall include allocations for
				  sources that contribute the pollutant to the water, as required by section
				  303(d) of the clean water act (33 United States Code section 1313(d)) and
				  regulations implementing that statute to achieve applicable surface water
				  quality standards. A.R.S. §
									49-231(4).
25. "Water quality standard" means a standard composed of
				  designated uses (classification of waters), the numerical and narrative
				  criteria applied to the specific water uses or classification, the
				  antidegradation policy, and moderating provisions, for example, mixing zones,
				  site-specific alternative criteria, and exemptions, in A.A.C. Title 18, Chapter
				  11, Article 1.
26. "WQARF" means the water quality assurance revolving fund
				  established under A.R.S. § 49-282.