Can a state adopt criteria for similar risk levels for their fresh and marine coastal recreation waters?
Yes, states may adopt criteria for marine waters with the same risk level as their fresh water criteria. However, for fresh waters, the available data do not allow extrapolating beyond a 1.0% risk level. This means that states that want to use the same or similar risk levels for their fresh and marine coastal recreation waters have several options: they could reduce the risk level for marine waters to no higher than 1%; they could develop the data needed in freshwaters to establish in a scientifically sound manner the relationship between a 1.9% illness rate in freshwater and the corresponding concentration of indicator bacteria in their fresh waters; or they could develop the data needed in freshwaters to establish in a scientifically sound manner the relationship between an illness rate higher than 1% but less than 1.9% and corresponding indicator concentrations in freshwater.
Related Questions
- In responding to the "Community Assessment" selection criteria, must my application address all domains and levels of risk and protective factors?
- Why should government agencies at the federal, state and local levels adopt voluntary consensus standards developed in the private sector?
- May states adopt a single sample maximum only for their beaches, rather than for all coastal recreation waters?
