4
waterbody is meeting all applicable water quality standards, or is expected to meet those standards in a
reasonable timeframe, as the result of implementation of required pollution controls, and 2) when, upon re-
examination, the original basis for listing is determined to be inaccurate. This latter condition was the subject of
a second step undertaken as part of the development of the 1998 Massachusetts 303(d) List. It was long-
suspected that listing of several waterbodies may have been based on very limited, if any, valid monitoring
data. Therefore, an extensive review was performed to determine the original basis for listing of as many
segments as possible, both in the eleven watersheds noted above, as well as statewide. For example, an
attempt was made to determine, for each segment on the list, the year it was first listed, the basis for the
listing, and whether or not the listing was ever based on monitored vs. evaluated data. Those segments that
were never verified by monitoring are identified in the 1998 303(d) List as waters that may or may not require a
TMDL, but will need more information before that determination can be made. In other cases, where the
original basis for listing waterbodies was clearly inaccurate, they were removed from the 1998 list, and
documented as such at the end of the list.
Section 303(d) also addresses waters under threat of impairment as TMDLs are to be established for
water quality limited segments at levels necessary to attain or maintain applicable water quality
standards (See 40 CFR 130.7(b)(4) and (c)(I). However, EPA’s 1998 listing guidance states that only
threatened waters that are not expected to meet water quality standards before the next listing cycle
(April, 2000) should be listed. Because of the difficulty associated with making such determinations,
Massachusetts has decided to exclude most “threatened”waterbodies from its 303(d) List if data indicate that
water quality standards are being achieved.
The 1998 303(d) List has been formatted differently than previous submittals. Whereas the 1996 303(d)
submittalactually consisted of four separate lists, a single list has been generated for 1998. It incorporates all
waterbody types (i.e., lakes, rivers, and coastal waters) and pollutants/stressors by watershed or drainage area.
Within each watershed on the list, however, there are two categories: 1) those waterbodies that continue to
exhibit impairment of one or more uses and will require additional control measures for either point, non-point,
or both sources before the waterbody is expected to meet applicable standards; and 2) those segments or
pollutant/stressors that have been listed in the past and should be targeted for monitoring or other information
gathering to confirm whether or not they should remain on the 303(d) List.
Waters contained in the Massachusetts Waterbody System were also reviewed in light of known pollution
abatement strategies that have been implemented since the submittal of the 1996 303(d) List. These are
primarily NPDES permits that have been issued with water quality-based effluent limits, but also include
approved facility plans, completed Section 319 projects, and Records of Decisions (Federal sites) or approved
remedial alternatives (state sites) for cleanup at hazardous waste sites. Waterbodies have been removed
from the 303(d) List if they now have a control measure in place that is expected to bring that waterbody into
compliance with applicable water quality standards within the next two-year reporting cycle.
Information for determining whether to include individual lakes and ponds on the 303(d) List was primarily
obtained during recent synoptic surveys performed by DEP. These surveys recorded the presence or absence
of non-native plant species, percent cover of aquatic plants, and, where possible, water transparency. While
the presence of non-native species populations were reported in the 305(b) Report as impairing aquatic life
use, those waterbodies previously included on the 303(d) List solely on the basis of the presence of non-native
species impairing the aquatic life use (i.e., 50 lakes and ponds) were removed from the 303(d) List in 1998
because they are not considered a pollutant for which a TMDL can be calculated. However, lakes and ponds
remain listed as affected by noxious aquatic plants or nutrients when native and non-native species are in such
abundance as to inhibit the other uses of the waterbody. In rare cases, information from older baseline surveys
or diagnostic/feasibility studies was used to make assessments. Fish edibility advisory information was
obtained from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). All of the available information on
Massachusetts lakes and ponds was compared to use-support criteria, which can be found in the 1994
Massachusetts Summary of Water Quality (305b) Report. Those waterbodies determined to be "partially
supporting" or "non-supporting" have been included on the 303(d) List. In several cases, information was
considered too outdated to make an accurate use support determination for the 1998 305(b) cycle. However,
unless there was some indication available that restoration activities had occurred on the waterbody, it was
retained on the 303(d) List. Finally, a small number of lakes and ponds were found to be “not-attainable.”