[watershedmanagers] Maine DEP seeks public comment on draft Integrated Water Quality Report

[News and discussion forum for watershed managers in Maine]

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Maine's DRAFT 2024 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report



Available for Public Comment until July 22, 2024



The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has prepared the draft "2024 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report" for submission to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as required by §§ 303(d), 305(b) and 314 of the Clean Water Act, and in fulfillment of the reporting requirements of 38 M.R.S. § 464(3)(A) of the State of Maine's Water Classification Program.



This report is available for public comment until 5:00 PM on July 22, 2024.  For more information and access to the documentation (2 files), please visit www.maine.gov/dep/water/monitoring/305b/<https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/monitoring/305b/>.  Reviewers of the Report document should pay particular attention to the Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM) required by the EPA for surface water assessments in this report.  The CALM is described in Chapter 4 of the document.  For the first time, assessments for waters that present barriers to fish passage are included in a new Category 4-C-FPB (Fish Passage Barrier); the relevant CALM is included under the header 'Support of Indigenous Species'.  Specific surface waterbody attainment and impairment assignments can be found in the Appendices (a separate file).  The appendices are broken into five waterbody types: rivers/streams, lakes/ponds, wetlands, estuarine and marine waters, and coastal designated beaches.  Categories 1-3 are for waters that are not impaired, categories 4 and 5 are for waters or water segments that are impaired for one or more uses.



We encourage you to review the document and provide comment on the report.  Comments become part of the public record and are published in the final version of the Report.  All comments should be sent to:

By email: IRcomments.DEP at maine.gov<mailto:IRcomments.DEP at maine.gov>
By fax: 207-287-7826

Meagan Sims
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Water Quality

State House Station 17
Augusta, ME 04333-0017

Meagan.Sims at maine.gov<mailto:Meagan.Sims at maine.gov>
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