On August 17, 2016, the Environmental Quality Commission adopted amendments to its administrative rules at OAR 340, division 041, water quality standards for bacteria.

Summary

The EQC adopted amendments to these rules:

The EQC adopted revisions to Oregon’s water quality criteria for bacteria. Oregon based these criteria on EPA’s 2012 recommendations for protecting those recreating in Oregon waters. The revised rules include enterococcus criteria applicable to coastal contact recreation, which previously were in standards promulgated in a federal rule by EPA. The revisions clarify the designated uses to which the three sets of bacteria criteria apply: E. coli criteria apply to freshwater contact recreation use, enterococcus criteria apply to coastal water contact recreation use and fecal coliform criteria apply to shellfish harvesting use.

Because the criteria are now associated with a specific designated use, the EQC also adopted clarifications and revisions to basin-specific criteria and use tables for the Columbia River, North, Mid, and South Coast, and Umpqua River. These revisions include a series of maps indicating where these uses occur in coastal estuaries.

The bacteria criteria revisions will become effective following EPA approval.

For more information see the Water Quality Standards Bacteria website.   To view the final rule and rulemaking documents, see the Staff Report.  For additional information, please feel free to contact me.

Additional Information

You can view documents concerning this rulemaking at the links below. The EQC staff report for these rules contains two versions of the adopted rules; one with changes marked by colored text and one in the final version without any markup. You can view the staff report at this link: Bacteria standards EQC staff report

To view copies of the other rulemaking documents, you can view the rulemaking web page at: Water quality bacteria standards rulemaking

If you want to receive future email notices about DEQ rulemaking, you must sign up at: DEQ Govdelivery.

You can also obtain more information about this rulemaking by contacting:

Aron Borok

Borok.Aron@deq.state.or.us

503-229-5050

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