New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 7 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 9B - SURFACE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS › Subchapter 1 - SURFACE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS › Section 7:9B-1.4 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter,
				  shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
				  otherwise.
"Acute toxicity" means a lethal or severe adverse sublethal
				  effect (for example, immobilization of daphnids) to an organism exposed to a
				  toxic substance for a relatively short period of time. Acute toxicity is
				  measured by short-term bioassays, generally of 48 or 96 hour duration.
"Agricultural water supply" means water used for field
				  crops, livestock, horticulture, and silviculture.
"Best management practices" or "BMPs" means the methods,
				  measures or practices to prevent or reduce the amount of pollution from point
				  or nonpoint sources, including structural and nonstructural controls and
				  operation and maintenance procedures.
"Bioaccumulation" means the increase of the concentration of
				  a substance within the tissues of an organism, to levels in excess of that
				  substance's ambient environmental concentration, directly from the water or
				  through the ingestion of food (usually other organisms).
"Bioassay" means a toxicity test using aquatic organisms to
				  determine the concentration or amount of a toxic substance causing a specified
				  response in the test organisms under stated test conditions.
"Biota" means the animal and plant life of an ecosystem;
				  flora and fauna collectively.
"C1" means Category One waters.
"C2" means Category Two waters.
"Calculable changes" means changes to water quality
				  characteristics as demonstrated by any acceptable mathematical, predictive
				  method.
"Carcinogen" means a toxic substance capable of inducing a
				  cancer response, including Group A (human carcinogen), Group B (probable human
				  carcinogen) or Group C (possible human carcinogen) categorized in accordance
				  with the USEPA Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment, 51 Fed. Reg. 33992,
				  1986 incorporated herein by reference, as amended or supplemented.
"Category One waters" means those waters designated in the
				  tables in N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.15(c) through
				  (i), for purposes of implementing the
				  antidegradation policies set forth at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  7:9B-1.5(d), for protection
				  from measurable changes in water quality based on exceptional ecological
				  significance, exceptional recreational significance, exceptional water supply
				  significance or exceptional fisheries resource(s) to protect their aesthetic
				  value (color, clarity, scenic setting) and ecological integrity (habitat, water
				  quality and biological functions).
"Category two waters" means those waters not designated as
				  Outstanding National Resource Waters or Category One at N.J.A.C. 7:9B-1.15 for
				  purposes of implementing the antidegradation policies set forth at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  7:9B-1.5(d).
"Chlorine produced oxidants" means the sum of free and
				  combined chlorine and bromine as measured by the methods approved under
				  N.J.A.C. 7:18. In fresh waters the oxidants measured are comprised
				  predominantly of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), hypochlorite ion (OCl-),
				  monochloramine and dichloramine. In saline waters the oxidants measured are
				  comprised predominantly of the oxidants listed for fresh waters plus
				  hypobromous acid (HOBr), hypobromite ion (OBr) and bromamines.
"Chronic toxicity" means death or other adverse impacts that
				  affect the growth, survival, or reproductive success of an organism or its
				  progeny after a relatively long exposure period to toxic substances. Chronic
				  toxicity is measured using intermediate-term or long-term bioassays.
"Complete mix" means a 25 percent or less variation in
				  concentration across the transect of the water body.
"Criteria" means those elements of the Surface Water Quality
				  Standards, expressed as constituent concentrations, levels, or narrative
				  statements, representing a quality of water that supports a particular use.
				  When the criteria are met, water quality will generally protect the designated
				  use.
"Department" means the New Jersey Department of
				  Environmental Protection.
"Designated use" means those surface water or ground water
				  uses, both existing and potential, that have been established by the Department
				  for waters of the State.
"Diadromous fish" means fish that spend most of their life
				  in one type of water, either fresh or saline, and migrate to the other type to
				  spawn.
"Discharge" has the same meaning as the term defined in the
				  New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System rules at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  7:14A-1.2.
"Discharger" has the same meaning as the term defined in the
				  New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System rules at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  7:14A-1.2.
"Disinfection" means the removal, destruction, or
				  inactivation of pathogenic and indicator organisms.
"Dissolved metal" means the concentration of metal that
				  passes through a 0.45 [micro]m membrane filter (as defined in "Methods for
				  Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes," EPA-600/4-79-020, March 1979).
"DRBC" means Delaware River Basin Commission.
"DRBC Water Quality Regulations" means the DRBC
				  Administrative Manual--Part III Water Quality Regulations, including all
				  amendments and supplements thereto.
"EC50" means the median effective concentration of a toxic
				  substance expressed as a statistical estimate of the concentration that has a
				  specified adverse effect on 50 percent of the test organisms under specified
				  test conditions, based on the results of an acute bioassay.
"Exceptional ecological significance" means:
1. Waterbodies with suitable habitat verified
				by the Department to support Bog Turtle, Brook Floater, Dwarf Wedgemussel,
				Eastern Pondmussel, Eastern Lampmussel, Green Floater, and/or Triangle Floater
				and documented occurrence(s) of at least one of these species verified by the
				Department for inclusion in the Biotics database; or
2. A waterbody supporting an exceptional
				aquatic community as demonstrated by a nonimpaired benthic macroinvertebrate
				community as measured by the Department's Rapid Bioassessment Protocol (see
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bfbm/rbpinfo.html
)
				and at least two of the following factors:
i.
				Optimal habitat as measured by the Department's Stream Habitat Assessment (see
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bfbm/rbpinfo.html
);
ii. Excellent fish community as measured by
				the Fish Index of Biotic Integrity (see
				http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wms/bfbm/fishibi.html);
iii. Water quality data that demonstrates
				compliance with aquatic life criteria pursuant to
				N.J.A.C.
				7:9B-1.14(d) for dissolved oxygen,
				temperature, total phosphorus, and total suspended solids; or
iv. Impervious surface that is:
(1) Less than two percent for a HUC 14 of
				less than five square miles; or
(2)
				Less than or equal to 10 percent for a HUC 14 of greater than or equal to five
				square miles.