Connecticut Water Quality Action Plans

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Connecticut Water Quality Action Plans

Action Plans to Restore and Protect Water Quality

Download a CT Water Quality Action Plans (WQAP) by Waterbody ID

Section 303 (d) of The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires surface waters that are not meeting Water Quality Standards (WQS) to have a plan in place to restore the waterbody back to meeting its water quality goals and uses, or to protect waters that are meeting WQS from becoming degraded through a Protection Plan.

The Planning Process in Connecticut

The Connecticut Water Quality Standards (WQS) form the foundation of Connecticut’s water management programs, designated uses and related classifications of Connecticut’s water resources.

Chart to show the flow of the Planning process in CT for Water Quality Action Plans. The CT DEEP Water Monitoring Program conducts ambient monitoring of the State’s waters as outlined in the Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Program Strategy.

Assess and Evaluate CT's Waters. Every two years each State is required to report those waterbodies have too much of a pollutant (impaired) in the Integrated Water Quality Report(IWQR).

Develop Action Plans to Restore or Protect Water Quality. Action plans describe the water quality conditions, identify goals and steps to restore or protect water quality.

Work with Partners. Many watershed groups and local organizations already strive to make CT waterbodies clean and healthy. We need your participation! Partners can be towns, industries, government agencies and advocacy groups.

Implement Actions

Once a plan is established and approved, it is implemented by the appropriate CT DEEP Program through either Permits ,Remediation Plans ,Watershed Plans, or Stormwater Management Plans .

Types of Water Quality Action Plans in Connecticut

There are 3 types of Water Quality Action Plans which are developed to restore or protect CT waterbodies. The most common plan is called a Total Maximum Daily Load Plan or a TMDL. Which shows the amount of a pollutant that can enter a waterbody before it becomes polluted, affecting how people can safely use the waterbody. A TMDL is similar to a budget.

TMDLs establish targets for good water quality, and they can also serve as a Protection Plan once standards have been met.
Alternative Plans go directly to implementation either through a Remedial Action Plan or a permit.
Protection plans are meant to preserve the waterbody in its current condition, as it is meeting water quality standards.

Water Quality Action Plan priorities are defined through a process called Integrated Water Planning Management. This is a long-term planning process which spans the course of a 10-year period. Updates on these plans are provided every two years through the Integrated Water Quality Report.

Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection