State of Mississippi Water Quality Assessment 2016 Section 305 (b) Report MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ii State of Mississippi Water Quality Assessment 2016 Section 305(b) Report Department of Environmental Quality June 23, 2016 Prepared by: Office of Pollution Control Field Services Division Post Office Box 2261 Jackson, MS 39225 (601) 961-5171 www.deq.state.ms.us i ii ABSTRACT Section 305(b) of the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires each state to describe the quality of their water resources in a report for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Congress, and the public on a biennial basis. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), as the lead agency for environmental protection in Mississippi, is the state agency responsible for generating this report. The purpose of Mississippi's 2016 Water Quality Assessment §305(b) Report is to comprehensively describe for USEPA, Congress, and the public the status of the quality of the state's surface waters. This 2016 §305(b) report fulfills all reporting requirements under §305(b) of the CWA. Along with the water quality assessment information, the report also describes the state’s assessment methodology and gives the causes, where known, for those waters identified as impaired. Additionally, Mississippi’s surface water quality monitoring program is described in this report. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to express their appreciation to the staff of the Surface Water Division’s Basin Management Section and the Modeling and TMDL Branch who contributed to this report. It should also be noted that without the help and support from the staff in the Data Integration Division who helped with all database needs and GIS support, development of this report would not have been possible. Special thanks is extended to the staff of the Field Services Division for their data collection and laboratory efforts in providing most of the data used in this assessment cycle, as well as their contributions to this narrative report. The Water Quality Assessment Section would also like to thank Jeff Thomas and Kosalram Gopalsamy without whom this effort would have been impossible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. v TABLE OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ vi TABLE OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................. vi List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................ vii PART I .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Background and Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 2 Mississippi’s Surface Waters ...................................................................................................................... 3 PART II ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 SURFACE WATER ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY AND STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Assessment Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Water Quality Standards ............................................................................................................................. 7 Mississippi 2016 §305(b) Assessment Methodology ................................................................................. 7 Data Representativeness ............................................................................................................................. 8 Data Quality ..............................................................................................................................................10 Waterbody Use Support Determination .....................................................................................................10 Assessment Database (ADB) .....................................................................................................................10 Statewide Assessment Summary ................................................................................................................13 Designated Use Support-Rivers and Streams ............................................................................................13 Causes and Sources of Impairment of Designated Uses-Rivers and Streams ...........................................16 Assessment Summary for ALUS and Recreation ......................................................................................18 Designated Use Support – Estuaries and Coastal Waters ..........................................................................20 Aquatic Life Use Support (ALUS) Assessment ........................................................................................20 Recreation Use Support Assessment .........................................................................................................22 Lakes: Statewide Assessment Summary ...................................................................................................23 Lake Water Quality ...................................................................................................................................23 Use Support Determinations ......................................................................................................................23 Assessment Summary for ALUS Determinations .............................................................................24 Section 314 Reporting-Trophic Status.......................................................................................................26 Lake Pollution Control Methods ...............................................................................................................31 PART III ......................................................................................................................................................33 PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS AND ADVISORIES ...........................................................................33 Public Health Concerns and Advisories ....................................................................................................34 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................34 Fish Tissue Contamination ........................................................................................................................35 Mercury Contamination in Fish Tissue .....................................................................................................38 DDT Contamination in the Delta ...............................................................................................................38 Other Toxicants in Fish Tissue ..................................................................................................................41 Fish Kills ...................................................................................................................................................41 Shellfish Restrictions .................................................................................................................................43 Beach Advisories .......................................................................................................................................44 PART IV .......................................................................................................................................................45 SURFACE WATER MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM SUMMARY .......................45 Basin Management Approach ....................................................................................................................46 MDEQ Surface Water Monitoring Program ............................................................................................49 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................49 Surface Water Monitoring Strategy ...........................................................................................................49 Description of MDEQ Sampling Networks ...............................................................................................52 Status & Trends Ambient Monitoring