Criteria Assessment Protocol Workgroup
This workgroup was formed to create a partnership agreement on the adoption of criteria assessment protocols by Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., for the remaining dissolved oxygen criteria in time for the April 2016 303(d) listing cycle to inform the 2017 mid-point assessment, and to prioritize and resolve additional water quality criteria assessment protocol questions from the partnership.
Upcoming Meetings
Criteria Assessment Protocol Workgroup Meeting - December 2024
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 from 10:30am - 12:30pmScope and Purpose
The Criteria Assessment Protocol Workgroup objectives are to create a partnership agreement on and MD, VA, DE and DC adoption of criteria assessment protocols for the remaining DO criteria in time for the April 2016 303(d) listing cycle to inform the 2017 mid-point assessment and prioritize and resolve additional water quality criteria assessment protocol questions from the partnership. The group currently collaborates with the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team (WQGIT) , the Modeling Workgroup, and the Bay Oxygen Research Group (BORG) to address and advise on questions related to water quality criteria assessment protocols.
Projects and Resources
STAC Criteria Addendum Review: Ambient Water Quality Criteria for DO, Water Clarity and Chla
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership requested that the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) provide a scientific review of the 2017 Technical Addendum to the document: “Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll-a for the Chesapeake Bay and Its Tidal Tributaries.” This addendum was developed by the Criteria Assessment Protocol Workgroup of the Scientific, Technical, Assessment and Reporting (STAR) team, and provides refinements and clarifications to the previously published Chesapeake Bay water quality criteria assessment procedures.
The Criteria Addendum Review Team was selected based on their expertise in estuarine dissolved oxygen, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), chlorophyll, water clarity, statistics and application of water quality criteria in the context of a total maximum daily load (TMDL). The team was asked to address questions regarding the overall appropriateness and justification of the approach taken, the clarity of the document in providing a complete set of guidance for assessing water quality standards attainment, the scientific rigor of the methods used, and provide recommendations to the CBP about potential future enhanced criteria-assessment procedures.
Ambient WQ Criteria for DO, Water Clarity & Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay & Its Tidal Tribs
Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity, and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and It's Tidal Tributaries & Technical Support for Criteria Assessment Protocols Addenda
Since the signing of the multijurisdictional Chesapeake 2000 agreement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with its six watershed State partners and the District of Columbia, has developed a series of water quality criteria guidance documents in accordance with Section 117b of the Clean Water Act. Chesapeake Bay regional water quality criteria were developed and adopted into state water quality standards regulations protective of living resources and their habitats.
These documents include the 2003 Chesapeake Bay water quality criteria document and it's following addenda; as such readers should regard the sections in these addenda as new or replacement chapters and appendices to the original published report. The criteria assessment procedures published in these addenda also replace and otherwise supersede similar criteria assessment procedures originally published in the 2003 Regional Criteria Guidance. Publication of future addenda by EPA on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay Program watershed jurisdictional partners is likely as continued scientific research and management applications reveal new insights and knowledge that should be incorporated into revisions of state water quality standards regulations in upcoming triennial reviews.
- 2003 ambient water quality criteria [PDF, 4.3 MB]
- 2003 techsupport du attainability [PDF, 5.5 MB]
- 2004 addendum ambient water quality criteria [PDF, 1.2 MB]
- 2004 techsupport du attainability [PDF, 4.0 MB]
- 2004 cbp analytical segmentation scheme [PDF, 2.0 MB]
- 2005 addendum cbp analytical segmentation scheme [PDF, 230.8 KB]
- 2007a addendum ambient water quality criteria [PDF, 6.0 MB]
- 2007b addendum ambient water quality criteria chla [PDF, 1.9 MB]
- 2008 addendum ambient water quality criteria [PDF, 1.8 MB]
- 2010 addendum ambient water quality criteria [PDF, 1.0 MB]
STAC Peer Review for the James River Chlorophyll-a Criteria Re-evaluation
The CBP-STAC peer review of the James River CHLA Criteria re-evaluation has just been released. This report has been submitted to the CBP Management Board and a written response has been requested on its recommendations.
CHLA Assessment Review/Recommendations Aug 9, 2016 Initial Meeting
These are the minutes from the first meeting of the CAP workgroup, held August 9, 2016, to discuss the short-term task of 1) critically reviewing the existing tidal waters chlorophyll a assessment procedures and 2) providing consensus recommendations on any alternatives to consider in revision of the existing procedures by mid-September 2016.
Publications
2017 Technical Addendum Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chla
Published on November 28, 2017A total of seven addendum documents have been published by EPA since April 2003. Four addenda were published documenting detailed refinements to the criteria attainment and assessment procedures (U.S. EPA 2004a, 2007a, 2008, 2010) previously published in the original April 2003 Chesapeake Bay water quality criteria document (U.S. EPA 2003a). One addendum published Chesapeake Bay numerical chlorophyll a criteria (U.S. EPA 2007b). Three addenda addressed detailed issues involving further delineation of tidal water designated uses (U.S. EPA 2004b, 2005, 2010) building from the original October 2003 tidal water designated uses document (U.S. EPA 2003b). Finally, one addendum documented the 92-segment Chesapeake Bay segmentation scheme (U.S. EPA 2008) after refinements to the Chesapeake Bay Program analytical segmentation schemes were documented (U.S. EPA 2005) building from the original U.S. EPA 2004 document (U.S. EPA 2004b). This 2017 addendum is the eight addendum document developed through the Partnership and published by EPA.
View detailsMembers
Peter Tango (Chair), Monitoring Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: ptango@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-9875
August Goldfischer (Staffer), Scientific, Technical Assessment and Reporting (STAR) Staffer, Chesapeake Research Consortium
Carl Friedrichs, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Bill Dennison, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Clare Buchanan, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB)
Cindy Johnson, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Clifton Bell, Brown and Caldwell
Elgin Perry, Independent Consultant
John Wolf, GIS Team Lead, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: jwolf@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-5739
Joe Wood, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Lucretia Brown, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
Mark Trice, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Michael Lane, Old Dominion University (ODU)
Ken Moore, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Matthew Stover, Maryland Department of the Environment
David Parrish, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
1208 Greate Rd
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062
Email: parrishd@vims.edu
Phone: (804) 684-7835
Peter Tango, Monitoring Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: ptango@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-9875
Renee Karrh, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Richard Tian, Research Scientist, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: rtian@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 295-1328
Becky Monahan, Maryland Department of the Environment
Roberto Llanso, Versar
Tish Robertson, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Tom Parham, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Tawes State Office Building
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: tparham@dnr.state.md.us
Phone: (410) 260-8633
Fred Irani, Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: firani@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-9845
Amanda Shaver, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Dustin Shull, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Mark Brickner, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Gary Shenk, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: gshenk@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 507-2681
Lewis Linker, Modeling Coordinator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: linker.lewis@epa.gov
Phone: (410) 267-5741
Qian Zhang, Data Analyst, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: qzhang@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-5794
Rebecca Murphy, Water Quality Analyst, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: rmurphy@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-9837
Doug Wilson, Caribbean Wind LLC
Suzanne Trevena, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Region 3
1650 Arch Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
Email: trevena.suzanne@epa.gov
Phone: (215) 814-5701
Gregory Voigt, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Juan Vicenty-Gonzalez, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Denise Hakowski, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Alex Gunnerson, Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Breck Sullivan, Scientific, Technical Assessment & Reporting Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: bsullivan@chesapeakebay.net
Phone: (410) 267-5788
Leah Ettema, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Katherine Bentley, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Kaylyn Gootman, Life Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Email: Gootman.Kaylyn@epa.gov
Phone: (410) 267-5705