Alabama Water Quality Information System

— Choose a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) —


	1.-		Are biological criteria good indicators of water quality and watershed health?


	2.-		Are iron flocculate or “floc” deposits which are commonly observed in discharge seeps down gradient of old unlined solid waste landfills a potential source of arsenic and arsenic contamination for surface water sources?


	3.-		Are there areas where elevated concentrations of phosphorus in stream water are associated with phosphate rock or large natural soil phosphorus levels?


	4.-		Are there areas where surface waters exceed the drinking water standard for arsenic?


	5.-		Are there situations where specific components of EPA's recommended nutrient criteria for defining water quality conditions may not be necessary?


	6.-		Can a state or authorized tribe develop its own nutrient criteria for defining water quality impacts?


	7.-		Do I need an NPDES permit?


	8.-		Do oil spills behave differently on rivers than they do on the open ocean?


	9.-		Do wild animals contribute significant microbial contamination to our lakes and waterways?


	10.-		How and when are water quality standards changed? How can I participate?


	11.-		How and when can I prevent the spread and/or introduction of nuisance aquatic species into the waters where I recreate?


	12.-		How are fish affected by oil spills?


	13.-		How can a state or authorized tribe account for variability within an ecoregion when developing nutrient criteria for defining water quality impacts?


	14.-		How can a state or authorized tribe relate nutrient criteria derived using a reference condition approach to the designated uses of their waters?


	15.-		How can a state or authorized tribe use EPA's nutrient criteria recommendations for defining water quality impacts?


	16.-		How can biological water quality criteria be used in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program?


	17.-		How can the level of protection for a stream, river, or lake be increased?


	18.-		How did EPA develop its specific nutrient criteria recommendations for defining water quality impacts?


	19.-		How do biological species serve as indicators of pollution level in a stream?


	20.-		How do I find out which aquatic hitchhikers are invading my state waters?


	21.-		How effective is in-situ burning at cleaning up surface water oil spills?


	22.-		How is an index of biological integrity (IBI) developed for wetlands?


	23.-		How is EPA supporting states and authorized tribes in development, adoption and implementation of nutrient criteria in surface water systems?


	24.-		How much sulfate (SO4) is typically found in surface waters?


	25.-		How should a state or authorized tribe determine whether nutrient criteria are attained in a particular water source?


	26.-		How will biological criteria fit into EPA's method of implementing water quality standards in the future?


	27.-		How will implementing biological criteria benefit State water quality programs?


	28.-		How will the designated uses of downstream waterbodies be protected when nutrient criteria are used as water quality standards?


	29.-		I know that oil spills into the water from small, everyday sources, like cars, not just from major oil spills. Does more oil leak into the water from all these sources, taken together, than from even the biggest oil spills (like the Exxon Valdez)?


	30.-		If I only fish in a certain lake, do I need to follow any procedures to prevent introduction of nuisance aquatic species?

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This website was developed by the ACES Water Quality Team, under the leadership of Dr. James E. Hairston. It is funded, in part, by USDA-CSREES water quality grant support under Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998.