Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 100-199 - Environmental Protection - General › Chapter NR 119 - Phosphorus Site-Specific Water Quality Criteria › Section NR 119.02 - Definitions

Current through June 24, 2024
In this chapter the following definitions apply:
(1) "Biological assessment threshold" has the
				meaning defined in s. NR 102.03 (1e).
Note:
Biological assessment thresholds are
				  specified in subch. III of ch. NR 102.
(2) "Clean Water Act" or "CWA" means the
				federal Clean Water Act of 1972 and amendments.
(3) "Designated use" means a use assigned to
				Wisconsin's waterbodies as specified in s. NR 102.04.
Note:
Pursuant to the Clean Water Act, all of
				  Wisconsin's surface waters are assigned to the following use categories:
				  aquatic life, recreation, public health and welfare, wildlife.
(4) "Less stringent SSC" means a
				site-specific phosphorus criterion that is established at a concentration
				higher than a waterbody's statewide phosphorus criterion.
(5) "More stringent SSC" means a
				site-specific phosphorus criterion that is established at a concentration lower
				than a waterbody's statewide phosphorus criterion.
(6) "Natural background phosphorus
				concentration" means the phosphorus concentration from natural sources,
				including forested and undeveloped lands, and from natural processes such as
				weathering and dissolution, that would exist in the absence of measurable
				impacts from human activity or influence.
(7) "Phosphorus response indicator" means an
				indicator and its thresholds, as specified in s. NR 102.60 (2) to (4), that
				characterize the condition or abundance of aquatic organisms that are
				responsive to phosphorus.
(8)
				"Section 303(d) list" means a list of waters that do not attain water quality
				standards and require a total maximum daily load analysis, as specified in
				Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act.
(9) "Site-specific criterion" or "SSC" means
				a phosphorus criterion applicable to a waterbody or segment that differs from
				the statewide phosphorus criterion due to specific conditions at the waterbody
				or segment, documented using data for the specific site or a similar reference
				site.
(10) "Statewide phosphorus
				criterion" means the statewide phosphorus surface water quality criterion
				specified in s. NR 102.06 that applies to a specific waterbody in absence of an
				adopted, approved, and effective site-specific criterion.
(11) "Strahler stream order" is a numerical
				hierarchy of stream segments increasing from headwaters through downstream
				reaches.
Note:
A map layer showing Strahler stream order
				  is available online on the department's Surface Water Data Viewer,
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/surfacewater/swdv/
.
(12) "Total maximum daily load" or "TMDL" has
				the meaning defined in s. NR 212.72 (11).
(13) "U.S. EPA" means the United States
				environmental protection agency.
(14) "Weather-controlled total phosphorus
				concentration" has the meaning defined in s. NR 102.07 (1) (c) 1.
(15) "WPDES permit" means a Wisconsin
				pollutant discharge elimination system permit issued by the department under
				ch. 283, Stats.