On this page:
- What is a UAA?
- What are the 6 Factors Under 40 CFR 131.10(g)?
- UAA Process Diagram with Tips for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Receiving Waters
- What are some examples of UAAs? (Case Studies)
- What about Potential Economic Impacts?
- Additional Information
What is a UAA?
A use attainability analysis (UAA) is a structured scientific assessment of the factors affecting the attainment of uses specified in Section 101(a)(2) of the Clean Water Act (the so called "fishable/swimmable" uses). The factors to be considered in such an analysis include the physical, chemical, biological, and economic use removal criteria described in EPA' s water quality standards regulation (40 CFR 131.10(g)(1)-(6)).
A UAA must be conducted for any water body when a state or authorized tribe designates uses that do not include the uses specified in section 101(a)(2) of the Act or when designating sub-categories of these uses that require less stringent criteria than previously applicable. States and authorized tribes must hold public hearings for the purpose of reviewing the applicable water quality standards at least once every 3 years and when revising water quality standards. States and authorized tribes must also re-examine waters that do not include the uses specified in section 101(a)(2) of the Act to determine if new information has become available. If new information indicates that the uses specified in CWA section 101(a)(2) are attainable, then the state must revise its WQS accordingly to designate such uses.
- Improving the Effectiveness of the Use Attainability Analysis Process, Memorandum from Ephraim King (pdf) (383.25 KB, March 13, 2006)
What are the 6 Factors Under 40 CFR 131.10(g)?
Under 40 CFR 131.10(g) states may remove a designated use which is not an existing use, as defined in § 131.3, or establish sub-categories of a use if the State can demonstrate that attaining the designated use is not feasible because:
- Naturally occurring pollutant concentrations prevent the attainment of the use; or
- Natural, ephemeral, intermittent or low flow conditions or water levels prevent the attainment of the use, unless these conditions may be compensated for by the discharge of sufficient volume of effluent discharges without violating State water conservation requirements to enable uses to be met; or
- Human caused conditions or sources of pollution prevent the attainment of the use and cannot be remedied or would cause more environmental damage to correct than to leave in place; or
- Dams, diversions or other types of hydrologic modifications preclude the attainment of the use, and it is not feasible to restore the water body to its original condition or to operate such modification in a way that would result in the attainment of the use; or
- Physical conditions related to the natural features of the water body, such as the lack of a proper substrate, cover, flow, depth, pools, riffles, and the like, unrelated to water quality, preclude attainment of aquatic life protection uses; or
- Controls more stringent than those required by sections 301(b) and 306 of the Act would result in substantial and widespread economic and social impact.
UAA Process Diagram with Tips for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Receiving Waters
This interactive diagram is intended to help states, authorized tribes, and territories establish or revise designated uses by addressing the steps and questions they should consider while conducting a UAA. Itincludes tips for use revisions related to combined sewer overflows (CSOs).
- Use Attainability Analysis and the Use Revision Process
What are some examples of UAAs? (Case Studies)
Case Study | Complexity | Type of Action | 131.10(g) Factor(s) |
---|---|---|---|
| very simple | Assign primary contact recreational use | n/a |
| very simple | Redefined as ephemeral stream | 2 |
| very simple | Aquatic life use support | 2 |
| simple | Temporary suspension of recreational use | 2, 4 |
| simple | Assign limited warmwater fishery use | 3, 5 |
| medium | Assign aquatic life & recreational uses | 3 |
| medium | Removal of aquatic life uses & development of site-specific criterion | 1, 3 |
| complex | Temporary standards for multiple uses during remediation | 3 |
| very complex | Refined aquatic life uses & restoration variance | 1, 3, 6 |
Download all of the case studies. This file includes 2005 Case Studies of Alternatives to Use Removal. Please note that the purpose of this document is to provide examples of UAAs that states have conducted. States may conduct UAAs and then choose not to finalize the use change. For example, MD never adopted a final use change for the Patapsco River following the UAA described on pg. 38 of the document.
- All UAA Case Studies (pdf) (9.32 MB)
What about Potential Economic Impacts?
Refer to recommendations in EPA's Interim Economic Guidance for Water Quality Standards, Workbook (1995).
- Interim Economic Guidance for Water Quality Standards
Additional Information
- Water Quality Standards: Examples of Alternatives to Changing Long-term Designated Uses to Achieve Water Quality Goals (pdf) (824.22 KB, March 2005)
FAQs
What is UAA use attainability analysis? ›
What is a UAA? A use attainability analysis (UAA) is a structured scientific assessment of the factors affecting the attainment of uses specified in Section 101(a)(2) of the Clean Water Act (the so called "fishable/swimmable" uses).
What is use attainability analysis? ›A use attainability analysis (UAA) is a structured scientific assessment of the beneficial uses a water body could support, given application of required effluent limits and implementation of cost-effective and reasonable best management practices.
What is the highest attainable use of the EPA? ›Highest attainable use is the modified aquatic life, wildlife, or recreation use that is both closest to the uses specified in section 101(a)(2) of the Act and attainable, based on the evaluation of the factor(s) in § 131.10(g) that preclude(s) attainment of the use and any other information or analyses that were used ...
What are EPA water quality standards? ›Water quality standards (WQS) are provisions of state, territorial, authorized tribal or federal law approved by EPA that describe the desired condition of a water body and the means by which that condition will be protected or achieved.
What is uaa acceptable use policy? ›Users may use UAA's information resources for appropriate legal purposes only. Furthermore, users agree that, if a third party claims that any material posted by a user is unlawful, that the user will bear the burden of establishing that the material complies with all applicable laws.
What is a recreational use attainability analysis? ›A: A use attainability analysis (UAA) is a structured scientific assessment of the factors affecting the attainment of uses of a water body, such as swimming, fishing, and drinking. Certain uses are designated for protection in the state's water quality standards.
What are 3 major successful policies that came from the EPA? ›From regulating auto emissions to banning the use of DDT; from cleaning up toxic waste to protecting the ozone layer; from increasing recycling to revitalizing inner-city brownfields, EPA's achievements have resulted in cleaner air, purer water, and better protected land.
What is the significant new use rule EPA? ›Overview. Under section 5(a) of TSCA and 40 CFR part 721, if EPA promulgates a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR), a manufacturer or processor wishing to engage in a designated significant new use must submit a Significant New Use Notice (or "SNUN") to EPA at least 90 days before engaging in the new use.
What are the 3 criteria used to assess water quality? ›Water quality standards consist of three components: antidegradation, designated uses and water quality criteria. Water quality criteria represent the quality of water that supports a particular designated use.
What are the 3 types of water quality? ›There are three types of water quality parameters physical, chemical, and biological [8, 9].
What are the 6 main indicators of water quality? ›
Physico-chemical indicators are the traditional 'water quality' indicators that most people are familiar with. They include dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). They also include measures of toxicants such as insecticides, herbicides and metals.
What are 3 examples of acceptable use policy? ›These include rules around accessing restricted information; changing access data, such as passwords; opening questionable email attachments; using public Wi-Fi services; and using company approved authentication procedures.
What does UAA mean in authentication? ›User Account and Authentication (UAA) Server.
What is UAA authentication? ›User Account and Authentication (UAA) is an open-source identity server project under the Cloud Foundry Foundation. UAA provides enterprise-scale identity management features.
What does recreationally use mean? ›Recreational uses means those activities of a voluntary and leisure time nature that aid in promoting entertainment, pleasure, play, relaxation, or instruction.
What are examples of recreational environments? ›Examples are national, state, county, or city parks, other outdoor recreational areas such as golf courses or swimming pools and bodies of waters (oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams) when used by the public for fishing, swimming, or boating.
What is one of the EPA's biggest priorities? ›Combatting the Climate Crisis
Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector. Improving household and commercial energy efficiency. Reducing potent climate pollutants with near-term benefits.
- Bed Bugs.
- Climate Change.
- Children's Health.
- Environmental Justice.
- Lead.
- Mold.
- Pesticides.
- Radon.
- Strategy 1: Ensure Scientific Integrity. and Science-Based. ...
- Strategy 2: Consider the Health of. Children at All Life Stages. ...
- Strategy 3: Advance EPA's. Organizational Excellence. ...
- Strategy 4: Strengthen Tribal, State, ...
- Goal 1: Tackle the Climate. ...
- Goal 2: Take Decisive Action. ...
- Goal 3: Enforce. ...
- Goal 4: Ensure Clean and.
The air risk staff generally follows a basic four step risk assessment process, including hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response assessment, and risk characterization, as described below.
What are the seven priorities for EPA's future? ›
Administrator Jackson has pledged to focus on seven priorities for EPA's future: taking action on climate change; improving air quality; cleaning up our communities; protecting America's waters; assuring the safety of chemicals; expanding the conversation on environmentalism and working for environmental justice; and ...
What are the most important laws governing the EPA? ›Some of the better-known laws related to the environment are the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
What is the 2027 EPA rule? ›The final standards will reduce deadly smog and soot from new heavy-duty trucks starting with Model Year 2027. EPA estimates that by 2045, the rule will result in the following annual public health benefits: Up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths. 6,700 fewer hospital admissions and emergency department visits.
What are the 3 solvents that the US EPA finds new risks for? ›July 6, 2022
Three common solvents—methylene chloride, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), and perchloroethylene—pose unreasonable risks to human health under multiple use scenarios, the US Environmental Protection Agency concludes in separate draft risk evaluations released within days of each other.
There's still much more to be done on lead, air pollution, toxic chemicals, and especially climate change. We need a strong EPA to do those things. We must give the EPA the support it needs to keep our air, water, and climate clean and healthy.
What are the 4 characteristics of water quality? ›Water quality is measured by several factors, such as the concentration of dissolved oxygen, bacteria levels, the amount of salt (or salinity), or the amount of material suspended in the water (turbidity).
What are the 5 qualities of water? ›These include temperature, acidity (pH), dissolved solids (specific conductance), particulate matter (turbidity), dissolved oxygen, hardness and suspended sediment.
What are the tests for water quality analysis? ›By testing water over a period of time, the changes in the quality of the water can be seen. Parameters that may be tested include temperature, pH, turbidity, salinity, nitrates and phosphates. An assessment of the aquatic macro-invertebrates can also provide an indication of water quality.
WHO standards for water quality parameters? ›Parameters | Standard limits as per WHO guidelines (mg/L) |
---|---|
Chlorpyrifos | 0.03 |
Chromium | 0.05 |
Colour in drinking water | No visible colour |
Copper | 2.0 |
Mineral, structured, and pure spring water are some of the healthiest water you can drink because they're clean and contain all the essential minerals your body needs. Filtered water removes contaminants but might also remove essential minerals.
What are the 7 water quality parameters? ›
Parameters that are frequently sampled or monitored for water quality include temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, ORP, and turbidity. However water monitoring may also include measuring total algae, ISEs (ammonia, nitrate, chloride), or laboratory parameters such as BOD, titration, or TOC.
What are the 12 water quality parameters? ›The physical parameters include color, taste, odor, temperature, turbidity, solids, and electrical conductivity. On the other hand, chemical parameters can include pH, acidity, alkalinity, chlorine, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and biological oxygen demand.
How does pH affect water quality? ›High pH causes a bitter taste, water pipes and water-using appliances become encrusted with deposits, and it depresses the effectiveness of the disinfection of chlorine, thereby causing the need for additional chlorine when pH is high. Low-pH water will corrode or dissolve metals and other substances.
What are beneficial uses EPA? ›EPA defined "beneficial use" as the reuse of CCR in a product that: provides a functional benefit. replaces a product made from virgin materials on the market, which conserves natural resources that would otherwise need to be obtained through practices, such as extraction.
What is the maximum parts per billion of lead allowed by the EPA? ›The EPA's standard for lead in bare soil in play areas is 400 ppm by weight and 1200 ppm for non-play areas [EPA 2000a]. This regulation applies to cleanup projects using federal funds.
What is the EPA best system? ›Under section 111(b), EPA identifies the “best system of emission reduction” (BSER) that has been adequately demonstrated to control emissions of a particular pollutant from a particular type of source, and sets a standard for new sources based on the application of that BSER.
What is the EPA's weakness? ›An underlying reason for the control weaknesses is that EPA has not fully implemented a comprehensive information security program. Although EPA has established a framework for its security program, the agency has not yet fully implemented all elements of its program.
What are the EPA's 5 responsibilities? ›In general, the EPA develops standards or regulations pursuant to environmental statutes; enforces those standards, regulations, and statutes; monitors pollutants in the environment; conducts research; and promotes public environmental education.
Does the EPA actually help the environment? ›The EPA regulates the manufacturing, processing, distribution, and use of chemicals and other pollutants. Also, the EPA is charged with determining safe tolerance levels for chemicals and other pollutants in food, animal feed, and water. The EPA enforces its findings through fines, sanctions, and other procedures.
Why is the EPA still important now? ›Reduces waste and helps clean up when harmful substances pollute our land! That includes waste from landfills, fossil fuel power plants, and so much more. Evaluates and curbs pesticide risks. If you've ever read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, then you know how toxic pesticides can be when they go unregulated.
Does EPA help with pollution? ›
EPA regulates emissions of air pollution from mobile and stationary sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Can I brush my teeth with lead water? ›It is okay for water with lead in it to touch your skin. Just don't drink it! You can still wash your hands and take a bath. Make sure you brush your teeth with the water from a sink with a filter on it.
How much lead is OK in drinking water? ›EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is a toxic metal that is persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the body over time.
Does boiling water remove lead? ›Don't: Boil water to remove lead ▪ Boiling water will not lower the amount of lead. Use hot water for drinking, cooking or making baby formula and baby cereal. Hot water is more likely to contain higher levels of lead.
What is the EPA method of analysis? ›EPA method for the analysis of 16 elements dissolved and total recoverable elements in a broad variety of waters, as well as sediments, soils, and sludge. EPA method is a widely used performance-based guidance for analysis of 31 trace elements in ground water, soil, sediment, and solid waste.
How many kWh per gallon does an EPA use? ›How Is MPGe Calculated? According to the EPA, burning one gallon of gasoline produces 115,000 BTUs (British thermal units). It takes 33.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity to generate the same amount of heat. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) is the standard energy unit for electricity.
How much does it cost to run the EPA? ›Fiscal Year | Enacted Budget | Workforce |
---|---|---|
FY 2021 | $9,237,153,000 | 14,297 |
FY 2020 | $9,057,401,000 | 14,172 |
FY 2019 | $8,849,488,000 | 14,172 |
FY 2018 | $8,824,488,000 | 14,172 |