Public Notice: EPA Decision to add three (3) waterbody-pollutant combinations to South Carolina’s 2024 Clean Water Act section 303(d) List
Summary
The EPA Region 4 is requesting public comment on its decision to add three waterbodies to South Carolina’s 2024 303(d) list. EPA’s implementing regulations for Section 303(d)(2) of the Clean Water Act requires that states submit, every two (2) years, a list of waters within its boundaries for which existing pollution controls fail to achieve or maintain state water quality standards. The EPA must approve or disapprove each list, referred to as a 303(d) list or list of impaired and threatened waters. The EPA partially approved South Carolina’s 2024 303(d) list, agreeing with the state’s inclusion of 1545 waterbody-pollutant combinations on its list, as well as the removal of 118 waterbody-pollutant combination, with further action pending on 151 waters. However, based on readily available data and information, the EPA determined that three (3) waterbody-pollutant combinations should have been included and has added those to the state’s 303(d) list. Comments must be submitted no later than September 14, 2025 , to pohnan.joseph@epa.gov.
Supplementary information:
Section 303(c) of the Clean Water Act requires states to adopt water quality standards that set the goals for each waterbody. These standards designate uses for each body of water such as recreation, aquatic life habitat, or drinking (40 Code of Federal Regulations 131.10); establish water quality criteria protective of those uses (40 CFR 131.11); and contain policies for the maintenance and protection of existing uses and water quality (40 CFR 131.12).
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires that each state identify those water quality-limited segments for which existing effluent limitations are not stringent enough to attain or maintain state water quality standards and for which total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) must be prepared. This is called the 303(d) list. For each water quality-limited segment on the list, the state identifies the pollutant causing the impairment, when known. In addition, the state assigns a priority ranking for development of TMDLs based on the severity of the pollution and the uses to be made of the waters, among other factors (40 CFR 130.7(b)(4)).
The EPA's Water Quality Planning and Management regulations include requirements related to the implementation of Section 303(d) of the CWA (40 CFR 130.7). The regulations require states to assemble and evaluate all existing and readily available water quality-related data and information. 40 CFR 130.7(b)(5). This data and information is used to assess the status of waters and identify water quality-limited segments still requiring a TMDL for inclusion on the 303(d) list. Where a state does not use certain data or information, it must provide a rationale. States submit their 303(d) list and priority ranking for EPA approval or disapproval. The EPA shall only approve a 303(d) list only if it meets the requirements of 40 CFR 130.7(d)(2)).
The EPA is providing the public an opportunity to review and comment on its identification of these water quality-limited segments for South Carolina Section 303(d) list as required by 40 CFR 130.7(d)(2). Included with this public notice is a link to the decision document explaining the EPA’s reasoning for its actions on the South Carolina 303(d) list. The EPA will consider public comments and make any appropriate revisions before transmitting its final list of water quality-limited segments to the State.
Applicants or Respondents
United States
Docket Numbers
- EPA-R04-CWA-2024-1000(b)