WATER QUALITY

Oklahoma’s excellent water resources fulfill our fundamental needs, provide endless recreational opportunities, and host a diverse fish and wildlife population. Oklahoma water quality standards (WQS) are rules and regulations that protect our treasured water resources and serve as the foundation of all Clean Water Act (CWA) programs. There are three main components of WQS: beneficial uses, criteria, and the antidegradation policy. Beneficial uses establish the water quality goals for the waterbody, criteria define the minimum water quality condition necessary to achieve those goals, and the antidegradation policy specifies the framework to be used in making decisions regarding any intentional lowering of water quality. Some waterbodies in Oklahoma have been recognized for their intrinsic value and are awarded a higher level of protection. These include Outstanding Resource Waters (e.g., all Oklahoma Scenic Rivers), High Quality Waters, specially designated waterbodies listed in Appendix B of the WQS, Sensitive Water Supplies, and Culturally Significant Waters. In Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is the primary water quality regulatory and permitting authority for Oklahoma, and they work closely with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC).

The Role of INCOG
In October 1972, the Clean Water Act amendments were signed into law and remain the primary Federal statute regulating the protection of the nation’s water. The CWA “set a new national goal ‘to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters,’ with interim goals that all waters be fishable and swimmable where possible.” The CWA authorized formation of planning areas in each state for the purpose of ensuring attainment of its goals. On September 17, 1974, Governor David Hall designated INCOG as the water quality management planning agency for Creek, Osage, Tulsa, and parts of Rogers and Wagoner Counties.

Beginning in the 1970’s, INCOG has managed numerous EPA grant-funded projects collecting environmental and water quality data to support the state’s 208 Water Quality Management Plan. These studies have assessed the existing water quality of regional streams, employed computer modeling to calculate point source wastewater treatment plant limits for permits, and supported state agency decisions on waterbody impairment status.

INCOG participates in many state work groups and committees which address 303(d) impairments, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) strategies, water quality standards, wetlands and groundwater issues, nonpoint source pollution, and wasteload allocations for point source dischargers. INCOG also sits on committees and participates in work groups addressing the water quality aspect of local economic development initiatives and participates in regional water planning activities.

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Green Country Stormwater Alliance Within the past 20 years, INCOG has established an additional program to address the problem of stormwater pollution from urban sources. In the 1990’s, EPA finalized two phases of regulations requiring stormwater discharge permits. These discharge permit programs aim to control pollutants in stormwater runoff from urbanized areas, still considered to be a major source of water quality pollution. Phase I included regulations for industrial activities and cities with populations of over 100,000 and Phase II included many smaller cities and some counties in Oklahoma.

To help its municipal membership, INCOG created the Green Country Stormwater Alliance (GCSA), a coalition of many of the state’s stormwater permitted cities and counties. Formerly grant-supported, GCSA is now sustained by annual dues. INCOG provides employee education and training, research of technical and legal issues facing permittees, prepares document templates and guidance, and provides local assistance to staff and elected officials on the complexities of the permit program. For more information about GCSA or membership, contact stormwater@incog.org.

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Pollution and Impairment

The State of Oklahoma submits a biennial report to Congress and the EPA on the condition of streams and lakes called the “Oklahoma Integrated Water Quality Assessment Report”. Waterbodies are assessed for attainment of beneficial uses with criteria established in the WQS to protect those uses.

If the use is not attained for any parameter, the waterbody will be determined to be impaired and added to the 303(d) list. Most waterbodies on the 303(d) list will eventually have a pollutant load study called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) conducted that incorporates both point source and nonpoint source loads and include a margin of safety. TMDL’s set daily maximum limits on all point source and nonpoint source load discharges. Hundreds of TMDLs have been prepared across Oklahoma for bacteria, turbidity, dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen and nutrients.

Wasteload allocation studies have become more complex by adding nonpoint source load assessments. Characterizing and calculating nonpoint source loads is difficult and modeling is still improving. Unlike point source discharges, nonpoint sources have no discrete discharge pipe, typically do not undergo any type of waste treatment and are usually minimal or non-existent when there is no rainfall runoff. Wastewater treatment plants and industrial point source discharges must meet numerical effluent limits established in their Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (OPDES) permit with mandatory compliance requirements and penalty provisions for failure to comply. Most nonpoint sources do not have permit limits and are not regulated with the exception of from discharges from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and designated Phase I and II municipal stormwater systems, both of which are regulated as point sources in TMDLs. Stormwater permitted cities and counties within TMDL watersheds must implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) to control pollution in runoff.

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Resources and Links
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality- Water Quality Division provides information about the state’s water quality and regulatory programs intended to assess and improve our natural resources including public water supply, wastewater and stormwater permitting, and watershed planning. The Oklahoma Integrated Water Quality Assessment Report, completed TMDL’s, wasteload allocations, and 401 certifications are located on their Watershed Planning page.

INCOG’s Green Country Stormwater Alliance maintains a comprehensive list of resource links on water quality, including links to state and federal agencies and water quality programs in Oklahoma. Contact INCOG at stormwater@incog.org for more information about water quality programs within the INCOG area and State of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board is a source of water quality data for Oklahoma’s streams, lakes, and groundwater through data gathered in the Beneficial Use Monitoring Program (BUMP). OWRB roles also include water use appropriation and permitting, financial assistance for water/wastewater systems, dam safety, floodplain management, water supply planning, technical studies and water resource mapping.

The Oklahoma Conservation Commission-Water Quality Division is responsible for protecting the state’s waters from nonpoint source pollution, which is pollution that comes from land management practices. The Division supports water quality and soil health to accomplish this goal including monitoring and assessment, education, planning and implementation programs. OCC is an excellent source of water quality data on Oklahoma’s wadable streams.

The Blue Thumb Stream Protection Program – Oklahoma Conservation Commission is the educational arm of the OCC Water Quality Division and its mission is “stream protection through education.” They provide water quality education statewide and support a network of citizen scientists who monitor Oklahoma streams.

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For more information, contact:
Jade Jones
Water Quality Planner
918-579-9479 
jjones@incog.org