What are human health water quality criteria?
Human health water quality criteria are numeric values we believe will protect human health for pollutant concentrations in aquatic media, such as ambient waters and edible tissue. EPA publishes water quality criteria under the authority of Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) based solely on data and scientific judgments about the relationship between pollutant concentrations and environmental and human health effects. CWA Section 303(c) and its implementing regulations require states and authorized tribes to adopt water quality criteria to protect designated uses in their water quality standards. EPA’s recommended section 304(a) water quality criteria may guide States and authorized Tribes in establishing water quality standards. The resulting standards may serve as a basis for controlling discharges or releases of pollutants. EPA’s recommended human health water quality criteria are not regulations themselves, and do not impose legally binding requirements. EPA may change the
