"Dirty Water List" in Virginia

in 2020, some parts of the Chesapeake Bay were not impaired and thus were not included on the dirty waters list
Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Summary of All Impairment Causes in Virginia's Bay Waters

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires each state to identify its impaired waters - those rivers, lakes and estuaries which do not meet the six primary designated uses. Every two years, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issues the 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report, known as the "Dirty Water List."

The six designated uses in Virginia against which water bodies are assessed:¹

Aquatic Life Use: supports the propagation, growth, and protection of a balanced indigenous population of aquatic life which may be expected to inhabit a waterbody. In Chesapeake Bay waters (mainstem and tributaries), this use is divided into sub-uses that target specific aquatic life assemblages

Recreation Use: supports swimming, boating, and other water-contact recreational activities

Fish Consumption Use: supports game and marketable fish species that are safe for human health

Shellfishing Use: supports the propagation and marketability of shellfish (clams, oysters, and mussels)

Public Water Supply Use: supports safe drinking water

Wildlife Use: supports the propagation, growth, and protection of associated wildlife

multiple problems caused the main stem of the York River to be listed as impaired in 2020
Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Environmental Data Mapper

The water monitoring strategy in Virginia is to assess one third of the state's 1,247 sub-watersheds every two years. That cycle results in each 12-digit (6th Order) sub-watershed being re-evaluated every six years. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) includes a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Priority List for impaired waters in the biennial report to the Federal government.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality categorize rivers, lakes and estuaries that meet water quality standards for the six designated uses as Category 1 waters.

In Category 2 waters of the designated uses are supported, but data is inadequate to determine if all uses are supported. For example, if no water quality standard exists for a specific pollutant, then the waters are included in Category 2. If there is inadequate information to determine if any designated uses are met, the waters are placed in Category 3.

Category 4 waters are impaired or threatened, but a new TMDL is not required. The pollution that damages such waters is from natural sources, or is being addressed by actions other than a TMDL (such as requirements in a stormwater permit) that will correct the problem within two years. In addition, impaired tributaries to waters where the impairment is already being addressed by a previous TMDL are placed in Category 4 as well.

Category 5 waters are impaired or threatened by pollution that makes the stream, lake or estuary unsuitable for one or more designated uses, and require a TMDL to be developed.²

Stormwater Management in Virginia

Little River and its tributaries are impaired due to E. coli, while Claytor Lake is impaired due to dissolved oxygen and PCBs in fish tissue
Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Environmental Data Mapper

Links

• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
• Virginia Environmental Data Hub

Motts Reservoir was impaired due to aerial deposiion of mercury, while two nearby reservoirs were not listed in 2020
Source: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Environmental Data Mapper

References