Virginia Administrative Code › Title 9 - ENVIRONMENT › Agency 25 - STATE WATER CONTROL BOARD › Chapter 260 - WATER QUALITY STANDARDS › Part VII - Special Standards and Scenic Rivers Listings › Section 9VAC25-260-310 - Special standards and requirements

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
The special standards are shown in small letters to
					 correspond to lettering in the basin tables. The special standards are as
					 follows:
a. Shellfish waters. In all
				  open ocean or estuarine waters capable of propagating shellfish or in specific
				  areas where public or leased private shellfish beds are present, including
				  those waters on which condemnation classifications are established by the
				  Virginia Department of Health, the following criteria for fecal coliform
				  bacteria will apply:
The geometric mean fecal coliform value for a sampling
					 station shall not exceed an MPN (most probable number) or MF (membrane
					 filtration using mTEC culture media) of 14 per 100 milliliters (ml) of sample
					 and the estimated 90th percentile shall not exceed an MPN of 43 per 100 ml for
					 a 5-tube decimal dilution test or an MPN of 49 per 100 ml for a 3-tube decimal
					 dilution test or MF test of 31 CFU (colony forming units) per 100 ml.
The shellfish area is not to be so contaminated by
					 radionuclides, pesticides, herbicides, or fecal material that the consumption
					 of shellfish might be hazardous.
b. Policy for the Potomac Embayments. At its
				  meeting on September 12, 1996, the board adopted a policy (9VAC25-415. Policy
				  for the Potomac Embayments) to control point source discharges of conventional
				  pollutants into the Virginia embayment waters of the Potomac River, and their
				  tributaries, from the fall line at Chain Bridge in Arlington County to the
				  Route 301 bridge in King George County. The policy sets effluent limits for
				  BOD5, total suspended solids, phosphorus, and ammonia,
				  to protect the water quality of these high profile waterbodies.
c. Canceled.
d. Canceled.
e. Canceled.
f. Canceled.
g. Occoquan watershed policy. At its meeting
				  on July 26, 1971 (Minute 10), the board adopted a comprehensive pollution
				  abatement and water quality management policy for the Occoquan watershed. The
				  policy set stringent treatment and discharge requirements in order to improve
				  and protect water quality, particularly since the waters are an important water
				  supply for Northern Virginia. Following a public hearing on November 20, 1980,
				  the board, at its December 10-12, 1980 meeting, adopted as of February 1, 1981,
				  revisions to this policy (Minute 20). These revisions became effective March 4,
				  1981. Additional amendments were made following a public hearing on August 22,
				  1990, and adopted by the board at its September 24, 1990, meeting (Minute 24)
				  and became effective on December 5, 1990. Copies are available upon request
				  from the Department of Environmental Quality.
h. Canceled.
i. Canceled.
j. Canceled.
k. Canceled.
l. Canceled.
m. The following effluent limitations apply
				  to wastewater treatment facilities treating an organic nutrient source in the
				  entire Chickahominy watershed above Walker's Dam (this excludes discharges
				  consisting solely of stormwater):
CONSTITUENT
CONCENTRATION
1. Biochemical oxygen demand 5-day
6 mg/l monthly average, with not more than 5% of
								individual samples to exceed 8 mg/l.
2. Settleable solids
Not to exceed 0.1 ml/l monthly average.
3. Suspended solids
5.0 mg/l monthly average, with not more than 5% of
								individual samples to exceed 7.5 mg/l.
4. Ammonia nitrogen
Not to exceed 2.0 mg/l monthly average as N.
5. Total phosphorus
Not to exceed 0.10 mg/l monthly average for all
								discharges with the exception of Tyson Foods, Inc., which shall meet 0.30 mg/l
								monthly average and 0.50 mg/l daily maximum.
6. Other physical and chemical constituents
Other physical or chemical constituents not
								specifically mentioned will be covered by additional specifications as
								conditions detrimental to the stream arise. The specific mention of items 1
								through 5 does not necessarily mean that the addition of other physical or
								chemical constituents will be condoned.
n.
				  No sewage discharges, regardless of degree of treatment, should be allowed into
				  the James River between Bosher and Williams Island Dams.
o. The concentration and total amount of
				  impurities in Tuckahoe Creek and its tributaries of sewage origin shall be
				  limited to those amounts from sewage, industrial wastes, and other wastes that
				  are now present in the stream from natural sources and from existing discharges
				  in the watershed.
p.
				  Canceled.
q. Canceled.
r. Canceled.
s. Canceled.
t. Canceled.
u. Maximum temperature for the New River
				  Basin from the Virginia-West Virginia state line upstream to the
				  Giles-Montgomery County line:
The maximum temperature shall be 27°C (81°F) unless
					 caused by natural conditions; the maximum rise above natural temperatures shall
					 not exceed 2.8°C (5°F).
This maximum temperature limit of 81°F was established
					 in the 1970 water quality standards amendments so that Virginia temperature
					 criteria for the New River would be consistent with those of West Virginia,
					 since the stream flows into that state.
v. The maximum temperature of the New River
				  and its tributaries (except trout waters) from the Montgomery-Giles County line
				  upstream to the Virginia-North Carolina state line shall be 29°C
				  (84°F).
w. Canceled.
x. Clinch River from the confluence of Dumps
				  Creek at river mile 268 at Carbo downstream to river mile 255.4. The special
				  water quality criteria for copper (measured as total recoverable) in this
				  section of the Clinch River are 12.4 µg/l for protection from chronic
				  effects and 19.5 µg/l for protection from acute effects. These
				  site-specific criteria are needed to provide protection to several endangered
				  species of freshwater mussels.
y.
				  Canceled.
z. A site specific
				  dissolved copper aquatic life criterion of 16.3 µg/l for protection from
				  acute effects and 10.5 µg/l for protection from chronic effects applies
				  in the following area:
Little Creek to the Route 60 (Shore Drive) bridge including
					 Little Channel, Desert Cove, Fishermans Cove, and Little Creek Cove.
Hampton Roads Harbor including the waters within the
					 boundary lines formed by I-664 (Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel) and
					 I-64 (Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel), Willoughby Bay, and the Elizabeth River and
					 its tidal tributaries.
This criterion reflects the acute and chronic copper
					 aquatic life criterion for saltwater in
					 9VAC25-260-140
					 B X a water effect ratio. The water effect ratio was derived in accordance with
					 9VAC25-260-140
					 F.
aa. The following
				  site-specific dissolved oxygen criteria apply to the tidal Mattaponi and
				  Pamunkey Rivers and their tidal tributaries because of seasonal lower dissolved
				  oxygen concentration due to the natural oxygen depleting processes present in
				  the extensive surrounding tidal wetlands. These criteria apply June 1 through
				  September 30 to Chesapeake Bay segments MPNTF, MPNOH, PMKTF, PMKOH and are
				  implemented in accordance with subsection D of
				  9VAC25-260-185.
				  These criteria supersede the open water criteria listed in subsection A of
				  9VAC25-260-185.
Designated use
Criteria Concentration/Duration
Temporal Application
Open water
30 day mean = 4.0 mg/l
June 1 - September 30
Instantaneous minimum = 3.2 mg/l at temperatures
								<29°C
Instantaneous minimum = 4.3 mg/lat temperatures =
								29°C
A site-specific pH criterion of 5.0-8.0 applies to the
					 tidal freshwater Mattaponi Chesapeake Bay segment MPNTF to reflect natural
					 conditions.
bb. The
				  following site-specific seasonal mean criteria should not be exceeded in the
				  specified tidal James River segment more than twice in six years. Should
				  consecutive exceedances of the same seasonal mean criterion occur in a
				  waterbody segment after the effective date of these chlorophyll a criteria, the
				  department will examine additional lines of evidence, including the occurrence
				  of harmful algae blooms, physicochemical monitoring and phytoplankton datasets,
				  and fish kill reports in the evaluation of the appropriate assessment category
				  for the waterbody segment. The department will develop guidance for inclusion
				  in the Water Quality Assessment Guidance Manual to address evaluating the
				  appropriate assessment category when consecutive exceedances of the same
				  seasonal mean criterion occur. The department will determine if additional
				  monitoring for harmful algal blooms is warranted.
Designated Use
Chlorophyll a µ/l
Chesapeake Bay Program Segment
Temporal Application
Open water
8
JMSTF2
March 1 - May 31
(spring)
10
JMSTF1
13
JMSOH
7
JMSMH
8
JMSPH
21
JMSTF2
July 1 - September 30
(summer)
24
JMSTF1
11
JMSOH
7
JMSMH
7
JMSPH
The following site-specific chlorophyll a concentrations at
					 the specified duration should not be exceeded more than 10% of the time over
					 six summer seasons in the specified area of the tidal James River. These
					 criteria protect against aquatic life effects due to harmful algal blooms. Such
					 effects have not been documented in the upper portion of JMSTF2 or in
					 JMSOH.
Chlorophyll a µg/l
Chesapeake Bay Program Segment
Spatial Application
Duration
--
JMSTF2
Upstream boundary of JMSTF2 to river mile 95
--
52
JMSTF2
River mile 95 to downstream boundary of
								JMSTF2
1-month median
52
JMSTF1
Upstream boundary of JMSTF1 to river mile 67
1-month median
34
JMSTF1
River mile 67 to downstream boundary of
								JMSTF1
1-month median
--
JMSOH
Entire segment
--
59
JMSMH
Entire segment
1-day median
20
JMSPH
Entire segment
1-day median
(1) The
				  site-specific numerical chlorophyll a criteria apply to the tidal James River
				  segments (excludes tributaries) JMSTF2, JMSTF1, JMSOH, JMSMH, and JMSPH, the
				  boundaries of which are described in EPA 903-R-05-004.
(2) For segments JMSOH, JMSMH, and JMSPH, the
				  median of same-day samples collected one meter or less in a segment should be
				  calculated to represent the chlorophyll a expression of a segment over that
				  day, and the median of same-month chlorophyll a values should be calculated to
				  represent the chlorophyll a expression of a segment over that month. The
				  seasonal geometric mean shall be calculated from the monthly chlorophyll a
				  values for a segment.
(3) For
				  segment JMSTF2, chlorophyll a data collected in the "upper zone" (from the
				  upstream boundary at the fall line to approximately river mile 95 (N37° 23'
				  15.27" / W77° 18' 45.05" to N37° 23' 19.31" / W77° 18' 54.03"))
				  should be pooled, in the manner described in subdivision bb (2) of this
				  section, separately from chlorophyll a data collected in the "lower zone" (from
				  river mile 95 to the downstream boundary of JMSTF2). The seasonal geometric
				  mean for each of these zones should be calculated from their respective monthly
				  chlorophyll a values. To calculate the seasonal segment-wide geometric mean, an
				  area-weighted average of the zonal geometric means should be calculated using
				  the following equation:
Upper Zone Geometric Mean x 0.41 + Lower Zone Geometric
					 Mean x 0.59
(4) For segment
				  JMSTF1, chlorophyll a data collected in the "upper zone" (from the upstream
				  boundary of JMSTF1 to approximately river mile 67 (N37° 17' 46.21" /
				  W77° 7' 9.55" to N37° 18' 58.94" / W77° 6' 57.14")) should be
				  pooled, in the manner described in subdivision bb (2) of this section,
				  separately from chlorophyll a data collected in the "lower zone" (between river
				  mile 67 to the downstream boundary of JMSTF1). The seasonal geometric mean for
				  each of these zones should be calculated from their respective monthly
				  chlorophyll a values. To calculate the seasonal segment-wide geometric mean, an
				  area-weighted average of the zonal geometric means should be calculated using
				  the following equation:
Upper Zone Geometric Mean x 0.49 + Lower Zone Geometric
					 Mean x 0.51