Mission The mission of the Water Quality Division is to restore and protect the surface and ground waters of the District of Columbia.
Program Description The Program was established under the authorities of the DC Water Pollution Control Act and the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The program has three principal components:
Water Quality Control The Water Quality Control component fulfills the function of policy planning as well as regulatory control of surface water, ground water and wetlands. In addition, it conducts special studies on pollutant fate and transport to identify probable sources and impacts, river/stream sediment and water column quality not covered by ambient monitoring, wet weather non-point source runoff quantity and quality, and discharge-related facility inspections. It also tracks permit violations.
Water Quality Monitoring Water Quality Monitoring functions encompass water-body assessment; collection of ambient water quality data; periodic fish tissue analysis for parameters of concern such as PCB, chlordane, and DDT; periodic submerged aquatic vegetation survey; and bioassessment of wetlands and river fringes.
Environmental Laboratory The Environmental Laboratory is charged with the analysis of samples for a variety of chemical parameters.
The Water Quality Division provides total chlorine and total coliform tests for drinking water.
Water Quality Certifications As required under Section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act, the Water Quality Division provides Water Quality Certification for draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The US Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, is the permitting authority for the NPDES program in the District of Columbia. Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Water Quality Division certifies dredge and fill permits issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
