The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has begun its 2013 Triennial review of water quality standards contained in Regulation No. 2 for protecting Arkansas’ waters. The federal Clean Water Act requires states to conduct a comprehensive review of their water quality standards at least every three years to stay in compliance with federal water quality provisions and to maintain protection of the designated uses of waterbodies in the state.

Water Quality Standards

Water Quality Standards (WQS) are narrative and/or numeric criteria for parameters that are protective of the designated uses of a waterbody. The standards include criteria for minerals, bacteria, clarity, temperature, oil and grease, acidity or alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and toxic substances to name a few.

The Standards Protect Waterways

The federal Clean Water Act requires each state to develop WQS to protect lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, creeks, and ditches. The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission adopts WQS for Arkansas. ADEQ uses these WQS to ensure that designated uses of state waterways are being protected. These designated uses include: drinking water, swimming, fishing, industrial and agricultural use to name a few.

Arkansas’ Current Water Quality Standards

Regulation No. 2

Official 2013 Triennial Review Process

The following outlines the review process:

Packet filed with Arkansas Pollution Control & Ecology Commission January 30, 2013 (Docket No. 13-003-R)

Petition to Initiate Rulemaking to Amend Regulation No. 2

DRAFT Regulation 2 Markup

List of Proposed changes to Regulation No. 2

Legislative Questionaire and Financial Impact Statement

Arkansas Economic Development Commission Small Business Economic Impact Statement

Economic Impact - Environmental Benefit Analysis Pursuant to Reg. 8.812

Proposed Minute Order to Initiate Rulemaking

Corrected Proposed Minute Order to Initiate Rulemaking (public hearing dates added) - 02/04/2013

Public Notice
Link to the public notice announcement (Coming Soon!)
Public Hearing(s)
45-day Comment Period
Link to draft Reg. 2 for comment (Coming Soon!)
Responsive Summary by ADEQ
Link to responsiveness summary (Coming Soon!)
Legislative Review
Link to what committees (Coming Soon!)
Adoption by the APC&E Commission
Link to APCEC adoption letter (Coming Soon!)
Link to adopted Reg. 2 (Coming Soon!)
Submit to EPA for Approval

Ideas Received During the Public Listening Session Period

Prior to the initiation of the official 2013 Triennial Review process, ADEQ held public listening sessions to receive comments on Arkansas’ water quality standards contained in Regulation No. 2 in an open public forum.

Ideas Received during Public Listening Session Period, January 20 - February 29, 2012

Invitation to Stakeholders

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality has initiated the next step in the 2013 Triennial Review of Arkansas’ Water Quality Standards by holding stakeholder workgroup meetings. Below is the packet of information that the members of the stakeholder workgroup received.

Stakeholder Packet

Stakeholder Workgroup

The meetings will be held from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. A total of six (6) workgroup meetings are planned, extending into August 2012. A summary for each session will be posted below as well as specific Stakeholder Workgroup requested items.

1st Session Meeting Summary, May 14, 2012
Presentation given at 1st Session
Natural and Scenic Waterways Map
State Legislation which designated the waters as NSW
Federal Legislation which designated the waters as NSW
Working Draft Underline/Strike Through version of Regulation No. 2 – This working draft contains no definite revisions, it serves as a mechanism to display ADEQ, EPA, and the Public Listening Sessions proposed revisions in an format that is easy to review.
2nd Session Meeting Summary, June 4, 2012
- Current and Proposed Metals Standards Comparison
- Toxics Calculations
3rd Session Meeting Summary, June 18, 2012
- 3rd Session Introductory Presentation
Physical Alteration of Habitat Subgroup Meeting Summary, July 9, 2012
Minerals Subgroup Meeting Summary, July 9, 2012
- January 24, 2008 Record of Decision regarding Minerals
- Minerals Introductory Presentation
Suspended Sediment and Embeddedness Subgroup Meeting Summary, July 23, 2012 9:30- 11:30
Second Minerals Subgroup Meeting Summary, July 23, 2012 1:00- 4:00
- July 23, 2012 Minerals Subgroup Presentation
Link to 5th Session Meeting Summary, August 6, 2012 (Coming Soon!)
- Working Draft Underline/Strike Through Version of Regulation No. 2 –August 3, 2012
November 7, 2012 Draft Underline/Strike Through Version of Regulation No. 2 and supporting documentation

Brochures and References Provide More Information

Use brochures to learn more about the Standards and how to get involved:

Use references to learn detailed information about the Standards and the quality of specific waterways:

Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission Regulation No. 2 contains Standards.
2008 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report. This report contains information about the quality of the state’s waters.
Draft 2010 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report
Draft 2012 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report
Draft 2012 Impaired Waterbodies List Maps by County
Arkansas’ Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Webpage
EPA’s Online Water Quality Standards Policy and Guidance Reference Library
EPA Surface Water Standards & Guidance webs
EPA’s Water Quality Standards for Surface Waters webpage
Beaver Lake Site-Specific Water Quality Criteria Development: Recommended Criteria

For More Information

For more information about Arkansas' review of Water Quality Standards, or to send written suggestions about Arkansas Water Quality Standards, please contact:

ADEQ Branch Manager
Sarah Clem
5301 Northshore Drive
North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
(501) 682-0660
clem@adeq.state.ar.us
ADEQ Public Outreach and Assistance Division
Katherine Benenati
5301 Northshore Drive
North Little Rock, AR 72118-5317
(501) 682-0923
E-mail Customer Service