Water Quality Regulations (250-RICR-150-05-1)


250-RICR-150-05-1 INACTIVE RULE

This rule will be effective on 10/28/2025.
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1.1Purpose

1.2Legal Authority

1.3Incorporated Materials

1.4Definitions

1.5Liberal Application

1.6Severability

1.7Application of this Regulation

1.8Surface Water Quality Standards

1.9Water Use Classification

1.10Water Quality Criteria

1.11Effect of Activities on Water Quality Standards

1.12Procedures for Determining Additional Requirements for Effluent Limitations, Treatment and Pretreatment

1.13Prohibited Discharges

1.14Strategic Plan Consistency

1.15Approvals

1.16Application for Approvals

1.17Procedures for Review of Applications for Orders of Approval and Water Quality Certifications

1.18Effect of Approval

1.19Modification, Expiration, Suspension or Revocation of Approval

1.20Antidegradation of Water Quality Standards

1.21Modification of Water Quality Standards

1.22Variances from Water Quality Standards

1.23Appeals

1.24Sampling

1.25Water Quality Classifications

1.26RIDEM Ambient Water Quality Criteria and Guidelines for Toxic Pollutants

1.27The Implementation of the Antidegradation Provisions of the Rhode Island Water Quality Regulations

1.28Special Resource Protection Waters (SRPWs)

1.29Rhode Island Site Specific Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria Development Procedure

1.30Surface Water Quality Action Levels for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

1.31Enforcement

1.32Penalties 

Title 250 Department of Environmental Management
Chapter 150 Water Resources
Subchapter 05 Water Quality
Part 1 Water Quality Regulations (250-RICR-150-05-1)
Type of Filing Amendment
Regulation Status Inactive
Effective 10/28/2025

Regulation Authority:

R.I. Gen. Laws Chapters 46-12
42-17.1 and 42-17.6.
and in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 42-35

Purpose and Reason:

RIDEM is proposing to amend existing state Water Quality Regulations to adopt site specific metals criteria for specified segments as allowed in current regulation, clarify turbidity criteria, adopt EPA-recommended human health toxics criteria, change selected segment classifications to reflect already completed permit terminations, include Wild and Scenic Rivers as Special Resource Protection Waters (SRPWs) as already defined in the regulation, adopt two (2) new estuarine segments without changes to applicable criteria to better reflect current shellfish management, non-substantive typographical errors, and remove incorporated references by adopting the language into regulatory text.

Rulemaking Documents are organized by document type and are part of this rule’s rulemaking record (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-35-2.3). If multiple documents of the same type are listed below, each is a unique document. If there are multiple Public Notice of Proposed Rulemaking documents, view each document to identify the most recently amended version, as it may be amended at any point during the Public Comment Period.