MA Removes Lowest Classification for Waterbodies, Reflecting Increased Quality Statewide
- Lydia Olson
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
At the beginning of January the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection released updates to the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS) and the Massachusetts 2024/2026 Integrated List of Waters for public comment. The updates included the removal of the lowest water quality classification for waterbodies (Class C), as all of the waterbodies in Massachusetts have now exceeded that threshold.
To better protect water quality across the state, Mass Rivers, along with many of our member organizations, submitted comment letters on how the latest Standards and Integrated List could be improved. In the January update, the state made significant improvements to both the Surface Water Quality Standards and the Integrated List of Waters. Along with the removal of Class C waterbodies, the updates also included more stringent bacteria criteria for Secondary Contact Recreation, so that people are better protected against poor water quality when out kayaking or boating.
The main changes suggested by Mass Rivers were to the SWQS, including language to better protect water quantity in maintaining water quality (if there’s no water, there’s no water quality). Mass Rivers also asked to add additional pollutants to the Standards for public protection, like PFAS and cyanobacteria.
What are the Surface Water Quality Standards? And the Integrated List of Waters?
The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” The Clean Water Act requires states to develop water quality standards that uphold the goals of the CWA – in Massachusetts these are the MA Surface Water Quality Standards. The CWA also requires states to have a water quality monitoring program on which they report the status of their waterbodies to the Environmental Protection Agency, Congress, and the public – the report is known as the Integrated List.
The image above details how the SWQS and Integrated List interact, and what goes into the review process. States are required to review and renew their water quality standards every three years, and their Integrated Lists every two years. Many watershed organizations around the state contribute water quality data to the Integrated List update process through the external partner monitoring component.
Why do we need either of these regulatory requirements?
The MA Surface Water Quality Standards are important for protecting water quality in Massachusetts. They outline all the uses for which waterbodies should be protected, such as aquatic life use, fishing, or recreation. They also describe the different types of pollutants that waterbodies should be protected against, like bacteria or oil and grease. With these criteria in mind, all the waterways in MA are assigned uses and pollutants that they contain. The Surface Water Quality Standards are typically updated every three years to allow for edits such as pollutant additions or changes to the regulations.
The Integrated List of Waters includes three different lists:
The 305(b) List keeps track of whether each water body in the state is meeting its designated uses
The 303(d) List monitors which pollutants a water body contains
The 314 List applies to water quality in lakes and ponds
The Integrated List of Waters is typically updated every two years to allow for editing a water body’s designation or pollutant list if the quality of its water changes.
Both the SWQS and the Integrated Lists were set to be renewed in 2024, however they were delayed while the state made updates to the Secondary Recreation Contact criteria for bacteria. Therefore, the Integrated List revisions will come out this year and combine the 2024 and 2026 reporting cycles. The SWQS will be released this year and revised again in 2030.