CWA-AWQC: The Clean Water Act requires EPA to establish ambient water quality
criteria (AWQC), which serve as the scientific foundation for state surface water quality
standards. Separate AWQC are derived to protect aquatic life and human health. EPA's Criteria Table lists aquatic life, human health, and nutrient criteria for 158 pollutants. 15 criteria were revised in December 2003 and are available at http://epa.gov/waterscience/humanhealth/15table-fs.htm#crit. More detailed ambient water quality criteria documents can be obtained from EPA's Office of Water at
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/pc/ambient2.html. Scorecard reports EPA's AWQC for Human Health for consumption of water plus aquatic organisms.
EPA-DWEL: Drinking Water Equivalent Levels are used by EPA as a
guideline for evaluating drinking water quality. They are not
enforceable legal standards. DWELs define a lifetime exposure
concentration protective of adverse, non-cancer health effects, assuming
that all exposure to a contaminant is from drinking water. EPA, Office
of Water. 2004 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories.
http://www.epa.gov/ost/drinking/standards/dwstandards.pdf.
EPA-HA: Health Advisories are used by EPA as a guideline for evaluating
drinking water quality. They are not enforceable legal standards. HAs
define the concentration of a chemical in drinking water that is not
expected to cause any adverse noncarcinogenic effect over various
exposure durations (one-day to lifetime), with a margin of safety. EPA, Office
of Water. 2004 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories.
http://www.epa.gov/ost/drinking/standards/dwstandards.pdf.
NAAQS: The
Clean Air Act requires EPA to establish national ambient air
quality standards. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html.
SDWA-DRAFT: The Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA
to establish maximum contaminant levels for public drinking water. Some
MCLs are only draft values and have not been formally proposed or
adopted as regulations. Draft MCLs are not enforceable legal standards.
EPA, Office
of Water. 2004 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories.
http://www.epa.gov/ost/drinking/standards/dwstandards.pdf.
SDWA-MCL: The Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA
to establish maximum contaminant levels for public drinking water. EPA, Office
of Water. 2004 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories.
http://www.epa.gov/ost/drinking/standards/dwstandards.pdf.
SDWA-SMCL: Secondary maximum contaminant levels are used by EPA as a
guideline for evaluating drinking water quality. They are not
enforceable legal standards. SMCLs define acceptable levels of
contaminants based on taste, odor, color and certain other non-aesthetic
effects of drinking water. EEPA, Office
of Water. 2004 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories.
http://www.epa.gov/ost/drinking/standards/dwstandards.pdf.
