Guidelines for Preparation of the Comprehensive State Water Quality Assessments (305(b) Reports) and Electronic Updates (1997)

Report Contents and Supplement

This document was prepared in 1997 and has not been updated.  It is posted here for archival purposes only. For more current guidelines on water quality reporting under Section 305(b) and Section 303(d), please visit https://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/monitoring/repguid.cfm. 

To order a hard copy of this two-volume document call the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) at 1-800-490-9198 and provide the following two document numbers: EPA841-B-97-002A and EPA841-B-97-002B.

Report Contents (Volume 1)
This volume provides an overview of the 305(b) process and detailed guidance on the contents of the narrative report and electronic assessment database.

Report Contents (Report Cover and Acknowledgments)  (2 pp, 9K, About PDF)
Table of Contents, Volume 1: 305(b) Report Contents  (10 pp, 19K, About PDF)
Section 1: The 305(b) Process (27 pp, 56K, About PDF) PDF format, 56KB)
Section 2: Summary of Changes Since the 1996 305(b) Guidelines  (3 pp, 14K, About PDF)
Section 3: 305(b) Contents — Parts I and II: Summary and Background  (20 pp, 46K, About PDF)
Section 4: 305(b) Contents — Part III: Surface Water Assessment  (55 pp, 124K, About PDF)
Section 5: 305(b) Contents — Part IV: Ground Water Assessment  (30 pp, 64K, About PDF)
Section 6: Electronic Reporting of 305(b) Assessments  (12 pp, 30K, About PDF)
Section 7: References (2 pp, 7K, About PDF)

Supplement (Volume 2)
This volume provides guidance on designing assessments, evaluating water quality data, and measuring biological integrity. It also contains a number of appendices (which are not available electronically at this time).

Supplement (Report Cover and Acknowledgments)  (2 pp, 9K, About PDF)
Table of Contents, Volume 2: Guidelines Supplement  (8 pp, 17K, About PDF)
Section 1: Water Quality Assessments Under Section 305(b)  (21 pp, 89K, About PDF)
Section 2: Designing Assessments and Managing Information  (28 pp, 53K, About PDF)
Section 3: Making Use Support Determinations  (52 pp, 144K, About PDF)
Section 3: Case Studies (3 pp, 18K, About PDF)
Section 4: Measuring and Reporting the Biological Integrity Indicator (13 pp, 73K, About PDF)
Section 5: References (5 pp, 12K, About PDF)