All surface waters in Iowa, including those designated for Class "A", "B", and/or "C" uses, are classified for the following general uses: livestock and wildlife watering, noncontact recreation, crop irrigation, and industrial, agricultural, domestic, and other incidental water withdrawal uses. These general uses for all state waters are protected by eight narrative water quality criteria that are designed to prevent gross pollution and acutely toxic conditions. The first five of these criteria are referred to as "free froms."
All waters of the state shall be "free from" the following:
- substances from point source discharges that will settle to form sludge deposits;
- floating debris, oil, grease, scum, and other materials from wastewater discharges or agricultural practices in amounts sufficient to create a nuisance;
- materials from wastewater discharges or agricultural practices producing objectionable color, odor, or other aesthetically objectionable conditions;
- substances from wastewater discharges or agricultural practices in concentrations or combinations which are acutely toxic to human, animal, or plant life;
- substances from wastewater discharges or agricultural practice in quantities which would produce undesirable or nuisance aquatic life;
The following also apply:
- The turbidity of a receiving water shall not be increased by more than 25 nephelometric turbidity units by any point source discharge;
- Total dissolved solids shall not exceed 750 mg/l in any lake or impoundment or in any stream with a flow rate equal to or greater than three times the flow rate of upstream point source discharges;
- The Escherichia coli (E. coli) content of water which enters a sinkhole or losing stream segment, regardless of the water body’s designated use, shall not exceed a Geometric Mean value of 126 organisms/100 ml or a Sample Maximum value of 235 organisms/100 ml. No new wastewater discharges will be allowed on watercourses which directly or indirectly enter sinkholes or losing stream segments.
For information on water quality critera, follow this link: Specific Water Quality Criteria
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