Recreational Uses & Criteria

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

6. 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

7. 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

10. 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

11. 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