by Melissa Foley, Science Early Career Fellow and Erin Loury, Science Communication Intern.
Ocean acidification, or the increase of low-pH, corrosive ocean waters, certainly qualifies as a process that impairs water quality. Now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created guidance to address ocean acidification under the Clean Water Act.
On November 15th, the EPA released a Memorandum to guide regions and states in reporting the impacts of ocean acidification under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, which requires states to submit a list of impaired water bodies that do not meet water quality standards, and develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for these waters. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still safely meet water quality standards. In the case of ocean acidification, the main pollutant in question is carbon dioxide (CO2). Read more...
