Recreational Uses

1
Recreational Uses Criteria

• Chapter 307.7

2
2000 TSWQS

• Changed the indicator bacteria from fecal
  coliform to E. coli in freshwater and Enterococci
  in saltwater.
• Fecal coliform
• Alternative instream indicator
• Oyster waters
• Uses criteria
• Swimming advisory programs

3
Contact Recreation(2000 TSWQS)

• Recreational activities involving a significant
  risk of ingestion of water
• wading by children
• swimming
• water skiing
• diving
• surfing
• Risk levels
• Freshwater 8 illnesses per 1000 swimmers
• Saltwater 19 illnesses per 1000 swimmers
• Geometric means
• Freshwater (E. coli) 126 per 100 ml
• Saltwater (Enterococci) 35 per 100 ml
• Single sample number
• Freshwater 394 per 100 ml (moderate use)
• Saltwater 89 per 100 ml (designated bathing
  beach)

4
Noncontact Recreation(2000 TSWQS)

• Aquatic recreational pursuits not involving a
  significant risk of water ingestion
• fishing
• commercial and recreational boating
• limited body contact incidental to shoreline
  activity.
• Risk levels
• Freshwater 14 illnesses per 1000 swimmers
• Saltwater 27 illnesses per 1000 swimmers
• Geometric means
• Freshwater (E. coli) 605 per 100 ml
• Saltwater (Enterococci) 168 per 100 ml

5
2000 TSWQS Uses Criteria

• Unclassified water bodies
• Presumed contact recreation use
• Shift in EPA regulation to require UAAs for uses
  less than primary contact recreation
• Public concern to protect for primary contact
  recreation
• 1986 lawsuit against EPA on 1984 TSWQS
• Complaint Some of the water bodies with
  relatively low standards for recreational use
  were not addressed by an appropriate UAA.
• 1988 TSWQS revisions
• Applied fecal coliform criteria for contact
  recreation to unclassified waters.
• Classified water bodies (Appendix A)
• 8 segments noncontact recreation use
• 7 of the 8 segments contact recreation criteria
• 2 segments (1006 1007)
• No designated recreation use
• Noncontact recreation criteria

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Topics Discussed during 2000 revisions

• Subcategories of uses
• General recreation
• streams rivers
• Assess when conditions are suitable
• High-use recreation
• Freshwater lakes, reservoirs, saltwater bays,
  Gulf of Mexico other kinds of water bodies may
  be individually designated in Appendix A
• Assess at all conditions
• Numerous comments and concerns received
• Deleted subcategories of contact recreation the
  proposal to assess contact recreation only when
  conditions are suitable

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Background Information

• Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Bacteria -1986
• Draft Implementation Guidance-Nov. 2003
• Beach Act
• Final Rule WQS for Coastal Great Lakes
  Recreational Waters
• EPA Coastal Recreation Waters Fact Sheets
• Draft Frequently Asked Questions - inland waters

8
EPA Region 6 Options for Establishing Bacteria
Criteria

• Revise single sample (SS) criteria for saltwater
• Update the standard deviation used in deriving SS
  criteria
• Consider the adoption of SS criteria based on the
  level of use
• Consider other risk levels for the criteria to
  protect recreation uses
• Conduct use attainability analyses
• Use of the SS criteria for specific purposes
  rather than use attainment decisions
• Limit application of bacteriological criteria in
  waters affected solely by non-human sources

9
Options under Evaluation for TCEQ WQS Revisions
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Options to Consider for Recreational Uses and
Criteria

• Enterococci freshwater criteria elevated
  non-tidal salinity in West Texas streams.
• Revise saltwater single sample criteria for
  enterococci
• Leave fecal coliform as alternative indicator in
  effluent limits
• Single sample numbers remove should not exceed
  and replace with is
• Clarification- enterococci in oyster waters is
  the recreational indicator
• Recreational UAA guidance in Implementation
  Procedures

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Options under Evaluation

• Broader range of recreational uses
• Freshwater and saltwater risk levels
• Non-human sources of bacteria
• Options for Presumptions (Freshwater)
• Update the freshwater single sample number