Watersheds Dominated by Designated Use of Exceptional Value or High Quality- PA
- Author:
- Chesapeake Bay Program
- Date Created:
- February 27, 2013
Water quality criteria are used to protect designated water uses, such as fish and aquatic life, recreation, and water supply. Designated uses establish the reason for protection and the water quality criteria define the criteria required to protect that benchmark. Use designations and water quality criteria together, constitute Pennsylvania Water Quality Standards as defined in Title 25 Environmental Protection, Department of Environmental Protection, Chapter 93. This GIS watershed layer (which is not part of the Water Quality Standards) is offered to provide a spatial representation of the Aquatic Life Use Tiers contained in the portion of the Pennsylvania Code referenced above. These spatial representations are intended to supplement the Water Quality Standards but should not be substituted for the official version of the standards found in the Pennsylvania Code.