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CORAL REEF BIOLOGICAL CRITERIA: USING THE CLEAN WATER ACT TO PROTECT A NATIONAL TREASURE
Citation:
U.S. EPA, P. BRADLEY, L. S. Fore, W. S. FISHER, AND W. DAVIS. CORAL REEF BIOLOGICAL CRITERIA: USING THE CLEAN WATER ACT TO PROTECT A NATIONAL TREASURE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/054, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
The Technical Support Document “Coral Reef Biological Criteria: Using the Clean Water Act to Protect a National Treasure” will provide a framework for coral reef managers to develop coral reef biocriteria as water quality standards under the Clean Water Act.
Description:
Coral reefs are declining at unprecedented rates worldwide due to multiple interactive stressors including climate change and land-based sources of pollution. The Clean Water Act (CWA) can be a powerful legal instrument for protecting water resources, including the biological inhabitants of coral reefs. The objective of the CWA is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of water resources. Coral reef protection and restoration under the Clean Water Act begins with water quality standards - provisions of state or Federal law that consist of a designated use(s) for the waters of the United States and water quality criteria sufficient to protect the uses. Aquatic life use is the designated use that is measured by biological criteria (biocriteria). Biocriteria are expectations set by a jurisdiction for the quality and quantity of living aquatic resources in a defined waterbody. Biocriteria are an important addition to existing management tools for coral reef ecosystems. The Technical Support Document “Coral Reef Biological Criteria: Using the Clean Water Act to Protect a National Treasure” will provide a framework to aid States and Territories in their development, adoption, and implementation of coral reef biocriteria in their respective water quality standards.
URLs/Downloads:
Reviewer 1 (PDF, 2 pp, 52 KB, about PDF)Peer Review Plan (PDF, 2 pp, 31 KB, about PDF)
Draft Charge (PDF, 2 pp, 9 KB, about PDF)
RECONCILIATION TABLE.PDF (PDF, 34 pp, 184 KB, about PDF)
EPA-600-R10-054.PDF (PDF, 153 pp, 6722 KB, about PDF)
CHARGE QUESTIONS.PDF (PDF, 2 pp, 9 KB, about PDF)
Reviewer 5 (PDF, 4 pp, 54 KB, about PDF)
Reviewer 3_Charge Questions (PDF, 2 pp, 87 KB, about PDF)
Reviewer 3 (PDF, 3 pp, 81 KB, about PDF)
Reviewer 2 (PDF, 14 pp, 223 KB, about PDF)