Covering such topics as designation of uses, antidegradation, procedures for review and revision of water quality standards, and the water-quality-based approach to pollution control, this handbook provides readers with guidance on complying with the Water Quality Standards Regulation, 40 CFR 131.

Easily identify and fulfill the federal environmental requirements for your construction and development projects with this guidebook. You'll find seven self-audit checklists in this book, originally published by EPA in 2005, to help you evaluate your compliance status through all three stages of your project_pre-bid, pre-construction, and construction_and a sample construction stormwater pollution prevention plan.

Approximately 85% of the hazardous waste sites in the United States have contaminated ground water. The conventional approach for remediating contaminated ground water has been to extract the contaminated water, treat it above ground, and reinject or discharge the clean water in a process known as "pump-and-treat." The recovered contaminants must be disposed of separately. Pump-andtreat technologies require considerable investment over an extended period of time, and it has been shown that these technologies often do not actually remove the source of the contamination. Current policies and laws stress "permanent" remedies over simple containment methods. Consequently, there is considerable interest in and effort being expended on alternative, innovative treatment technologies for contaminated ground water.

A properly designed, operated and maintained sanitary sewer system is meant to collect and convey all of the sewage that flows into it to a wastewater treatment plant. However, occasional unintentional discharges of raw sewage from municipal sanitary sewers - called sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) - occur in many systems. Rainfall-derived infiltration and inflow (RDII) into sanitary sewer systems has long been recognized as a major source of operating problems, causing poor performance of many sewer systems. RDII is the main cause of SSOs to customer basements, streets, or nearby streams and can also cause serious operating problems at wastewater treatment facilities. There is a need to develop proven methodologies and computer tools to assist communities in developing SSO control plans that are in line with their projected annual capital budgets and provide flexibility in future improvements.

Rainfall-derived Infiltration and Inflow (RDII) into sanitary sewer systems has long been recognized as a source of operating problems in sewerage systems. RDII is the main cause of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) to basements, streets, or nearby streams and can also cause serious operating problems at wastewater treatment facilities. SSOs usually contain high levels of pathogenic microorganisms, suspended solids, toxic pollutants, floatables, nutrients, oxygen-demanding organic components, and oil and grease. There are serious concerns of potential health and environmental risks associated with these discharges. The Nation's sanitary sewer infrastructure is aging, with some sewers dating back over 100 years. Nationwide, there are more than 19,500 municipal sanitary sewer collection systems serving an estimated 150 million people and about 40,000 SSO events per year.

The United States of America ratified the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) in April 2003. The Joint Convention establishes an international peer review process among Contracting Parties and provides incentives for nations to take appropriate steps to bring their nuclear activities into compliance with general safety standards and practices. The U.S. participated in Review Meetings of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention in November 2003, May, 2006, and May 2009, in Vienna, Austria. This Fourth Report, an update of the U.S. National Report prepared under the Joint Convention in September 2011, documents spent fuel and radioactive waste management safety in the U.S. under the terms of the Joint Convention. It was prepared by the U. S. Government for review by the Contracting Parties.

Ground water is the Nation's principal reserve of fresh water and represents much of its potential future water supply. Ground water on National Forest System (NFS) lands is a major contributor to flow in many streams and rivers and has a strong influence on the health and diversity of plant and animal species in forests, grasslands, riparian areas, lakes, wetlands, and cave systems. It also provides drinking water to hundreds of communities. Demands for safe drinking water and requirements to maintain healthy ecosystems are increasing, and complex social and scientific questions have arisen about how to assess and manage the water resources on NFS lands. This technical guide was developed to help address these issues. Today, many of the concerns about ground water resources on or adjacent to public land involve questions about depletion of ground water storage, reductions in streamflow, potential loss of ground water-dependent ecosystems, land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and changes in ground water quality. The effects of many human activities on ground water resources and on the broader environment need to be clearly understood in order to properly manage these systems. Throughout this technical guide, we emphasize that development, disruption, or contamination of ground water resources has consequences for hydrological systems and related environmental systems. Ground water and surface water are interconnected and interdependent in almost all ecosystems. Ground water plays significant roles in sustaining the flow, chemistry, and temperature of streams, lakes, springs, wetlands, and cave systems in many settings, while surface waters provide recharge to ground water in other settings. Ground water has a major influence on rock weathering, streambank erosion, and the headward progression of stream channels. Pumping of ground water can reduce river flows, lower lake levels, and reduce or eliminate discharges to wetlands and springs. It also can influence the sustainability of drinking-water supplies and maintenance of critical ground water-dependent habitats. Increasingly, attention is being placed on how to manage ground water (and surface-water) resources on public lands in a sustainable manner. The potential for ground water resources to become contaminated from anthropogenic as well as natural sources is being scientifically assessed. Each ground water system and development situation is unique and requires a specific analysis to draw appropriate conclusions. This technical guide begins by reviewing the legislative and policy framework, and the issues related to ground water inventory, monitoring, contamination, and development. Individual sections then focus on key concepts, principles and methods for managing ground water resources. Relevant special topics, case studies, and field examples are highlighted throughout the text. Additional information on some topics can be found in the appendixes. This technical guide provides guidance for implementing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service national ground water policy. It describes hydrological, geological, and ecological concepts, as well as the managerial responsibilities that must be considered to ensure the wise and sustainable use of ground water resources on NFS lands. This document is one part of a four-part information system on ground water management on the national forests and grasslands. The other three parts are (1) Forest Service policy on ground water (Forest Service Manuals FSM] 2543 and 2880); (2) a Forest Service sourcebook on State ground water laws, regulations, and case law for all 43 States with NFS land; and (3) a ground water inventory and monitoring technical guide. When complete, the four parts will provide line officers and technical specialists at all field levels with the science, policy, and legal framework for Forest Service ground water-resource management.