Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Environmental Topics
  • Laws & Regulations
  • Report a Violation
  • About EPA
Risk Assessment
Contact Us

A Framework Incorporating Community Preferences In Use Attainment and Related Water Quality Decision-Making (2010 Final)

On this page:

  • Overview
  • History
  • Downloads
The report is intended to assist water quality officials, watershed managers, members of stakeholder groups, and other interested individuals in fully evaluating ecological and socioeconomic objectives and the gains and losses that often are involved in use attainment decisions. In addition, this report enables local, state, and tribal managers to better understand the benefits, as well as the costs, of attaining high water quality, and to incorporate community preferences in decision-making.
The purpose of this report is to enable states and authorized tribes — and their associated communities — to make informed decisions about their water bodies while complying with the provisions of the Clean Water Act. It enables local, state, and tribal managers to better understand the benefits, as well as the costs, of attaining high water quality, and to incorporate community preferences in decision-making.

Impact/Purpose

Specific objectives are (1) to provide an introduction to the CWA and WQS regulation and analyses related to setting or changing designated uses; (2) create a basis for understanding the relationship between use-attainment decisions and the effects on ecosystems, ecosystem services, and ecological benefits; (3) serve as reference for methods that elicit or infer preferences for benefits and costs related to attaining uses and (4) present process for incorporating new approaches in water quality decisions.

Citation

U.S. EPA. A Framework Incorporating Community Preferences In Use Attainment and Related Water Quality Decision-Making (2010 Final). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/625/R-08/001F, 2010.

History/Chronology

Date Description
01- Nov 2006 EPA hosted the Weighing the Ecological Risks, Benefits, and Costs in Use Attainment Decisions Workshop on November 14-15, 2006.
03- Jul 2008 EPA hosted a letter external review to provide comments on the document.
05- Feb 2011 EPA released the final report.

Download(s)

This document has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

  • A Framework Incorporating Community Preferences in Use Attainment and Related Water Quality Decision-Making (Final Report) (PDF)  (267  pp, 16.2 MB, about PDF)

Get the Report

cover-image-link
  • Risk Assessment Home
  • About Risk Assessment
  • Risk Recent Additions
  • Human Health Risk Assessment
  • Ecological Risk Assessment
  • Risk Advanced Search
    • Risk Publications
  • Risk Assessment Guidance
  • Risk Tools and Databases
  • Superfund Risk Assessment
  • Where you live
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on March 08, 2017
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Discover.

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Budget & Performance
  • Contracting
  • EPA www Web Snapshots
  • Grants
  • No FEAR Act Data
  • Privacy
  • Privacy and Security Notice

Connect.

  • Data
  • Inspector General
  • Jobs
  • Newsroom
  • Open Government
  • Regulations.gov
  • Subscribe
  • USA.gov
  • White House

Ask.

  • Contact EPA
  • EPA Disclaimers
  • Hotlines
  • FOIA Requests
  • Frequent Questions

Follow.