Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 33 - ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY › Part IX - Water Quality › Subpart 1 - Water Pollution Control › Chapter 11 - Surface Water Quality Standards › Section IX-1105 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
Acute Toxicity
- any lethal or deleterious
					 effect on representative sensitive organisms that results from a single dose or
					 exposure of a chemical or mixture of chemicals within a short period of time,
					 usually less than 96 hours.
Administrative Authority
- the Secretary of
					 the Department of Environmental Quality, or his designee or the appropriate
					 assistant secretary or his designee.
Ambient Toxicity
- the effect measured by a
					 toxicity test on a sample collected from a water body.
Artificial Heat
- heat derived from
					 unnatural sources, such as power plants and other industrial cooling
					 processes.
Background Condition
- a concentration of a
					 substance in a particular environment that is indicative of minimal influence
					 by human (anthropogenic) sources.
Biological and Aquatic Community
					 Integrity
- the condition of the aquatic community inhabiting a
					 specified habitat as measured by community structure and function.
Bottomland Hardwood Swamps
- those areas
					 inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater of negligible to very
					 low salinity at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under
					 normal conditions do support, bottomland hardwood vegetation. These ecosystems
					 are commonly found wherever streams or rivers occasionally cause flooding
					 beyond their channel confines. They are deciduous forested wetlands, made up of
					 different species of gum (
Nyssa
spp.), oak
					 (
Quercus
spp.), dwarf palmetto (
Sabal minor
),
					 and bald cypress (
Taxodium distichum
), and other species.
					 These swamps cannot tolerate continuous flooding; typically areas are flooded
					 two to six months per year.
Brackish Marshes
-those areas inundated or
					 saturated by surface water or groundwater of moderate salinity at a frequency
					 and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do
					 support, brackish emergent vegetation. Typical vegetation includes bulltongue
					 (
Sagittaria
spp.), wild millet (
Echinochloa
					 walteri
), bullwhip (
Scirpus californicus
), sawgrass
					 (
Cladium jamaicense
), wiregrass
(Spartina
					 patens)
, three-cornered grass
(Scirpus olneyi)
, and
					 widgeongrass
(Ruppia maritima)
.
Brackish
					 marshes
are also characterized by interstitial water salinity that
					 normally ranges between 3 and 15 parts per thousand.
Brackish Water
- surface water (creeks,
					 bayous, rivers, lakes, estuaries) having an average salinity of 2 parts per
					 thousand or greater and less than 10 parts per thousand; does not apply to
					 wetland interstitial salinity regime.
Chronic Toxicity
- toxicity that, after
					 long-term exposure, exerts sublethal negative effects on, or is lethal to
					 representative, sensitive organisms.
Clean
Techniques
-an
					 integrated system of sample collection and laboratory analytical procedures
					 designed to detect concentrations of trace metals below criteria levels and
					 eliminate or minimize inadvertent sample contamination that can occur during
					 traditional sampling practices.
Cypress-Tupelo Swamps
-those areas
					 inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater of negligible to very
					 low salinity at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under
					 normal circumstances do support, cypress-tupelo vegetation. Typical vegetation
					 includes water tupelo (
Nyssa sylvatica
var.
aquatica
), bald cypress (
Taxodium distichum
),
					 red maple (
Acer rubrum
), buttonbush (
Cephalanthus
					 occidentalis
), and common wax myrtle (
Myrica
					 cerifera
).
Cypress-tupelo swamps
can tolerate
					 continuously flooded conditions and are divided into two subtypes: continuously
					 flooded and seasonally flooded. Continuously flooded swamps are those areas
					 that have standing water present all year round. They range from forests with a
					 closed canopy to open canopy conditions with understory freshwater emergent
					 wetland vegetation. Seasonally flooded swamps are those areas that are
					 typically flooded for more than six months per year. They typically have a
					 closed canopy that limits understory vegetation.
Degradation
-a lowering of water quality,
					 as demonstrated by data analysis, water quality models, or other scientifically
					 defensible method.
Designated Use
- a use of the waters of the
					 state as established by the water quality standards provided in LAC 33:IX.1111.
					 These uses include, but are not limited to, primary and secondary contact
					 recreation, fish and wildlife propagation, drinking water supply, oyster
					 propagation, agriculture, and outstanding natural resource waters.
Diffuser
- a device or defined technology
					 that provides for the rapid and efficient mixing of wastewater effluents with
					 the receiving water so that toxic conditions and other impacts in the vicinity
					 of the discharge are minimized.
Dissolved Oxygen
- the amount of oxygen
					 dissolved in water, commonly expressed as a concentration in terms of
					 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
Drinking Water Supply
- a surface or
					 underground raw water source which, after conventional treatment, will provide
					 safe, clear, potable, and aesthetically pleasing water for uses which include,
					 but are not limited to, human consumption, food processing and cooking, and
					 inclusion as a liquid ingredient in foods and beverages.
Ecoregion
- a relatively homogeneous area
					 of similar ecological characteristics such as climate, land surface form,
					 soils, potential natural vegetation, land use, hydrology, and other
					 ecologically relevant variables.
Effluent
- wastewater discharged to the
					 waters of the state.
Effluent Limitation
-any applicable state
					 or federal qualitative or quantitative limitation that imposes any restriction
					 or prohibition on quantities, discharge rates, and concentrations of pollutants
					 discharged into the waters of the state.
Enterococci
-a group of fecal bacteria used
					 as an indicator of fecal contamination and predictor of human illness.
Estuary
- an area where freshwater systems
					 and saltwater systems interact. Such areas can extend from coastal areas into
					 inland rivers and streams as far as the limit of tidal influence or as far as
					 the saltwater wedge reaches. Estuarine salinities are variable and influenced
					 by physical (i.e., tide, sedimentation, precipitation), chemical (i.e.,
					 variable salinities), and biological (i.e., vegetation, faunal populations)
					 factors.
Excepted Use
- a water body classification
					 reflecting natural conditions and/or physical limitations that preclude the
					 water body from meeting its designated use(s). Such classifications include,
					 but are not limited to, man-made waters, naturally dystrophic waters, and
					 intermittent streams.
Existing Use
- those uses actually attained
					 in the water body on or after November 28, 1975. They may or may not be
					 designated uses.
Fecal Coliform
- a gram negative,
					 non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacteria found in the intestinal tract of
					 warm-blooded animals.
Forested Wetlands
-a category of wetlands
					 that includes
bottomland hardwood swamps
,
cypress-tupelo swamps
, and
oligotrophic seasonally
					 flooded pine forests
as defined in this Section.
Fresh Warmwater Biota-
aquatic life species
					 whose populations typically inhabit waters with warm temperatures (seasonal
					 averages above 20°C, 68°F) and low salinities (less than two parts per
					 thousand), including, but not limited to, black bass; freshwater sunfish;
					 freshwater catfish; and characteristic freshwater aquatic invertebrates and
					 wildlife.
Fresh Water
- surface water (creeks,
					 bayous, rivers, lakes) having an average salinity of less than 2 parts per
					 thousand; does not apply to wetland interstitial salinity regime.
Freshwater Emergent Wetlands
(including
freshwater marshes
)-those areas inundated or saturated by
					 surface water or groundwater of negligible to very low salinity at a frequency
					 and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do
					 support, freshwater emergent vegetation. Typical vegetation includes cattail
					 (
Typha angustifolia
), bulltongue (
Sagittaria
spp.), maiden cane (
Panicum hemitomon
), water hyacinth
					 (
Eichhornia crassipes
), pickerelweed (
Pontederia
					 cordata
), alligator weed (
Alternanthera
					 philoxeroides
), and pennywort (
Hydrocotyle
spp.).
Freshwater emergent wetlands
also are characterized by
					 interstitial water salinity that is normally less than 2 parts per thousand.
					 There are two subtypes of
freshwater emergent wetlands
:
					 floating and attached. Floating wetlands are those areas where the wetland
					 surface substrate is detached and is floating above the underlying deltaic
					 plain (also called "buoyant" and "flotant"). Attached wetlands are those areas
					 where the vegetation is attached to the wetland surface and is contiguous with
					 the underlying wetland substrate and can be submerged or emergent.
g/L
- grams per liter.
Harmonic Mean Flow
- a statistical value
					 used to calculate permit limits where 7Q10 flow is not appropriate. This
					 calculation is intended for positive numbers and non-zero values, thereby,
					 precluding the use of negative flow values. The formula is as follows:
Click Here To View
					 Image
where:
H = harmonic mean
n = number of samples
x = actual samples
Highest Attainable Use
-the modified
					 aquatic life, wildlife, or recreation use that is both closest to the uses
					 specified in
					 section
					 101(a)(2) of
					 the Clean Water Act and attainable, based on the evaluation of the factor(s) in
					 LAC 33:IX.1109.B.3 that preclude(s) attainment of the use and any other
					 information or analyses that were used to evaluate attainability. There is no
					 required highest attainable use where the state demonstrates the relevant use
					 specified in
					 section
					 101(a)(2) of
					 the Clean Water Act and subcategories of such a use are not attainable.
Intermittent Streams
- streams that provide
					 water flow continuously during some seasons of the year but little or no flow
					 during the drier times of the year.
LC50
-the numeric limit or concentration of
					 a test material that is lethal to 50 percent of the exposed aquatic organisms
					 within a specified period of time.
Man-Made Water Body
- a body of water that
					 has been anthropogenically created or altered and is used primarily for
					 drainage, conveyance, or retention of water for purposes of irrigation,
					 transportation, sanitation, flood relief, water diversion, or natural resource
					 extraction. The physical and hydrological characteristics of man-made water
					 bodies are not conducive to the establishment of a balanced population of
					 aquatic biota or to the full support of recreational activities.
Marine Water
- of, relating to, or found in
					 surface waters with average salinities greater than or equal to 10 parts per
					 thousand; does not apply to wetland interstitial salinity regime.
[MICRO]
g/L
- micrograms per liter.
mg/L
- milligrams per liter.
Naturally Dystrophic Waters
- waters which
					 are stained with organic material and which are low in dissolved oxygen because
					 of natural conditions.
ng/L
- nanograms per liter.
Non-Forested Wetlands
- a category of
					 wetlands that includes
freshwater emergent wetlands
,
brackish marshes
, and
salt (saline) marshes
as defined in this Section.
Nonpoint Source
- a diffuse source of water
					 pollution that does not discharge through a point source, but instead, flows
					 freely across exposed natural or man-made surfaces such as agricultural or
					 urban runoff and runoff from construction, mining, or silviculture activities
					 that are not regulated as point sources.
Non-101(a)(2) Use
-any use unrelated to the
					 protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, wildlife or recreation in or on
					 the water.
Oligotrophic Seasonally Flooded Pine
					 Forests
- palustrine, seasonally saturated pine communities on hydric
					 soils that may become quite dry for part of the year and generally occur in
					 flat or nearly flat areas not associated with a river or stream system. They
					 are usually dominated by loblolly pine (
Pinus taeda
). These
					 pine forests are seasonally flooded and receive very low nutrient inputs.
					 Because of their oligotrophic nature, these forests are characterized by unique
					 understory vegetation communities that may include insectivorous plants.
Person
- any individual, municipality,
					 public or private corporation, partnership, firm, the United States Government
					 and any agent or subdivision thereof, or any other juridical person, which
					 shall include, but not be limited to, trusts, joint stock companies,
					 associations, the state of Louisiana, political subdivisions of the state,
					 commissions, and interstate bodies.
Point Source
- a discernible, confined, and
					 discrete conveyance including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel,
					 tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated
					 animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft from which
					 pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows
					 from irrigated agriculture.
Pollutant Minimization Program
-a
					 structured set of activities to improve processes and pollutant controls that
					 will prevent and reduce pollutant loadings in the context of LAC
					 33:IX.1109.E.
Primary Contact Recreation
- any
					 recreational or other water contact use involving prolonged or regular
					 full-body contact with the water and in which the probability of ingesting
					 appreciable amounts of water is considerable. Examples of this type of water
					 use include swimming, skiing, and diving.
Process Heat
- heat derived from unnatural
					 sources such as power plants and other industrial cooling processes.
Practicable
-technologically possible,
					 economically viable, and able to be put into practice, in the context of LAC
					 33:IX.1109.A.2.b.
Receiving Waters
- the waters of the state
					 into which an effluent is, or may be, discharged.
Salt
(
Saline
)
Marshes
-those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface
					 water or groundwater of salinity characteristic of nearshore Gulf of Mexico
					 ambient water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under
					 normal circumstances do support, saline emergent vegetation. Typical vegetation
					 includes oystergrass (
Spartina alterniflora
), glasswort
					 (
Salicomia
spp.), black rush (
Juncus
					 roemerianus
), saltwort (
Batis maritima
), black
					 mangrove (
Avicennia germinans
), and saltgrass
					 (
Distichlis spicata
).
Salt marshes
are also
					 characterized by interstitial water salinity that normally exceeds 16 parts per
					 thousand.
Secondary Contact Recreation
- any
					 recreational or other water contact use in which body contact with the water is
					 either incidental or accidental and the probability of ingesting appreciable
					 amounts of water is minimal. Examples of this type of water use include
					 fishing, wading, and boating.
7Q10 Flow
- the minimum average stream flow
					 for seven consecutive days with a recurrence interval of once every 10
					 years.
Surface Water
- all lakes, bays, rivers,
					 streams, springs, ponds, impounding reservoirs, wetlands, swamps, marshes,
					 water sources, drainage systems, and other surface waters, natural or
					 artificial, public or private, within the state or under its jurisdiction that
					 are not a part of a treatment system allowed by state law, regulation, or
					 permit.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
- the amount
					 of solid material dissolved in water, commonly expressed as a concentration in
					 terms of mg/L.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
- the amount
					 of solid material suspended in water, commonly expressed as a concentration in
					 terms of mg/L.
Toxic Substances
- elements, compounds, or
					 mixtures that at sufficient exposure levels induce deleterious acute or chronic
					 physiological effects on an organism.
Use Attainability Analysis (UAA)
- a
					 structured scientific assessment of the factors (chemical, physical,
					 biological, and economic) affecting the attainment of designated water uses in
					 a water body. Recommendations for the revision of the water quality standards
					 may be based upon a
use attainability analysis.
Wastewater
- liquid waste resulting from
					 commercial, municipal, private, or industrial processes. Wastewater includes,
					 but is not limited to, cooling and condensing waters, sanitary sewage,
					 industrial waste, and contaminated rainwater runoff.
Water Body Exception Classification
-a
					 water body classification indicating natural conditions and/or physical
					 limitations that preclude the water body from meeting water quality criteria.
					 Classifications include, but are not limited to, man-made water bodies,
					 naturally dystrophic waters, and intermittent streams.
Water Pollution
- the introduction into the
					 waters of the state by any means, including dredge-and-fill operations, of any
					 substance in a concentration that tends to degrade the chemical, physical,
					 biological, or radiological integrity of such waters, including, but not
					 limited to, the discharge of brine from salt domes that are located on the
					 coastline of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico into any waters off said
					 coastline and extending there from 3 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
Water Quality Standard
-an established set
					 of provisions consisting of antidegradation requirements (policy and/or
					 proceedures), designated uses, and water quality criteria (narrative or
					 numeric) to protect the designated uses and general policies included at the
					 states discretion, in order to meet the objectives in
					 section
					 101(a) of the
					 Clean Water Act.
Water Quality Standards Variance (WQS
					 Variance)
-a time-limited designated use and criterion for a specific
					 pollutant(s) or water quality parameter(s) that reflect the highest attainable
					 condition during the term of the
water quality standards
					 variance
.
Waters of the State (or State Waters)
-all
					 surface and underground waters and watercourses within the state of Louisiana,
					 whether natural or man-made, including but not limited to, all rivers, streams,
					 lakes, wetlands, and groundwaters, within the confines of the state, and all
					 bordering waters extending three miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
Wetlands
- those areas that have one or
					 more of the following attributes: support hydrophytic (water tolerant)
					 vegetation during most of the year; contain predominately undrained hydric
					 (water saturated) soils; and/or are periodically inundated or saturated by
					 surface water or groundwater.
Whole Effluent Toxicity
- the total toxic
					 effect of an effluent measured directly with a toxicity test.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
					 Promulgated in accordance with
					 R.S.
					 30:2074(B)(1).