Antidegradation Policies

This component of water quality standards programs focuses on waters that are "better than standards" -- they have high water quality.

Antidegradation can apply parameter-by-parameter or waterbody-by-waterbody, depending on the State's chosen method. With the parameter-specific method, a waterbody could have antidegradation apply to some criteria, whereas a cleanup strategy, such as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), could be needed for others. With the waterbody method, waters in need of a cleanup strategy would generally not have antidegradation apply.