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Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires Washington State to periodically prepare a list of all surface waters in the state for which beneficial uses – such as for drinking, recreation, aquatic habitat, and industrial use – are impaired by pollutants. These are water quality limited estuaries, lakes, and streams that fall short of state surface water quality standards, and are not expected to improve within the next two years.
The Department of Ecology’s assessment of which waters to place on the 303(d) list is guided by federal laws, state water quality standards, and the Policy on the Washington State Water Quality Assessment (PDF). This policy describes how the standards are applied, requirements for the data used, and how to prioritize TMDLs, among other issues. The goal is to make the best possible decisions on whether each body of water is impaired by pollutants, to ensure that all impaired waters are identified and that no waters are mistakenly identified.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Category 5 of the Water Quality Assessment on January 29, 2009. Category 5 represents the state’s 303(d) list of impaired waters.
To browse the approved 2008 Category 5 water quality and contaminated sediment listings, as well as other categories, use the simple query tool or interactive mapping tool.
- 2004 - Present: covered in the Water Quality Assessment as category 5 listings visible in the simple query tool.
- 2000: EPA did not require a report for 2000.
- 1998 303(d) List.
- 1996 303(d) List.
The Section 305(b) report, required by the Federal Clean Water Act, describes the current conditions of the state's waters to the U.S. Congress and the public. It is a state-wide assessment of the status of all the state's waters, whereas the 303(d) list reports just on the impaired waters of the state.
- 2004 - Present: covered in the Water Quality Assessment as category 5 listings visible in the simple query tool.
- 2002 305(b) Report.
- 2001 305(b) Report.
- 2000 305(b) Report.
- 1998 305(b) Report (PDF).
If you have questions or need specific information on past Water Quality Assessments or past 303(d) lists, please contact:
Ken Koch Water Quality Program WA Department of Ecology PO Box 47600 Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Phone: 360.407.6782 FAX: 360.407.6426 Email: 303d@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
