Integrated Reporting, ADB, and ATTAINS

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Integrated Reporting, ADB, and ATTAINS

• April 30, 2008

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Clean Water Act

• Section 305(b)
• An Assessment of the Water Quality of all
  navigable waters in each State
• Section 303(d)
• A List of Impaired Waters for which a TMDL still
  needs to be completed
• Integrated Report (IR) and ADB
• Integrates data from Sections 305(b) and 303(d)

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Current ProgramIntegrated Report Categories

• 1. Attaining standards
• 2. Attaining some designated uses, and
  insufficient or no data and information to
  determine if remaining uses are attained
• 3. Insufficient or no data and information to
  determine if the standard is attained
• 4. Impaired or threatened for one or more
  designated uses but not needing a TMDL
• a. TMDL has been completed
• b. Expected to meet standards
• c. Not impaired by a pollutant
• 5. Impaired or threatened by pollutant(s) for
  one or more designated uses and requiring a TMDL

305 (b) Report
303(d) List
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ATTAINS

• Assessment TMDL Tracking And ImplementatioN
  System
• A national database that integrates the data from
  
• the 305(b) program (formerly housed in NAD) and
• the 303(d) program (formerly housed in NTTS)
• Database structure in place
• Web reports online soon
• Target Date April
• Implementation tracking capability coming soon
• The current State Assessment Databases (ADB) feed
  ATTAINS

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ATTAINS
www.epa.gov/waters/ir
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Basic concepts from a Water Quality Standards
Perspective
Waterbodies
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These same concepts are incorporated into the
logic of ATTAINS
Assessment Units
Assessment Units relate to WQS Waterbodies
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Designated Uses are assigned to Assessment Units
Assessment Units
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Designated Uses are assessed
Designated Uses
Physical/Chemical Assessment Performed
Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature do not meet the
criteria specified in the WQS
Aquatic Life
Assessment Conclusion Segment is NOT
SUPPORTING this designated use.
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When Uses are not supporting, Causes of
Impairments are assigned
Assessment Units
Causes of Impairment
Dissolved Oxygen
Temperature
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For causes identified, sources are assigned
Assessment Units
Causes of Impairment
Sources
Dissolved Oxygen
Municipal Point Source Discharges
Temperature
Grazing in Riparian or Shoreline Zones
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ATTAINS provides a way to link approved TMDLs to
Waterbody/Impairment combinations
Assessment Units
Causes of Impairment
Dissolved Oxygen
TMDL Completed!
Temperature
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ADB can also track other control measures that
would be enacted in order to achieve recovery of
a waterbody
Assessment Units
Causes of Impairment
Dissolved Oxygen
TMDL Completed!
Other Control Measures
Temperature
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ATTAINS and the Exchange Network

• Minnesota Reach Address Project (MNRAD) has
  demonstrated that this type of flow can work
• EPA is preparing to look at the process for how
  to improve the overall data flow (incorporating
  the Exchange Network)
• EPA is exploring the feasibility of establishing
  a data standard for IR data

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Questions?

• For more information
• Contact
• Dwane Young, US EPA Office of Water
• [phone], young.dwane_at_epa.gov
• ATTAINS Web Site
• www.epa.gov/waters/ir