Monitoring, Assessment & Standards Section
PLANNING & REPORTING
AT SWQB...

SWQB uses several planning avenues to accomplish its mission: preserve, protect and improve New Mexico's surface water quality for present and future generations.  The Standards, Planning and Reporting Team (SPRT) is charged with coordinating NMED's ongoing development cycle for surface water quality management strategies that insure federal Clean Water Act requirements are met.

James Hogan MAS Leader (505) 476-3671 WHAT'S NEW... 2013 QMP EPA-Approved WQMP / CPP Appendix C: Hydrology Protocol 2012 QAPP 10-Year Monitoring & Assessment Strategy 613 kb 2010 Quality Management Plan for environmental data operations Free Resources     Planning essentials... More related topics... Other important links...

The basic authority for water quality management in New Mexico is provided through the state's Water Quality Act. This statute establishes the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) and specifies its duties and powers.  The WQCC has adopted and continues to refine the basic framework for water quality management in New Mexico.

Major components of this framework include the Statewide Water Quality Management Plan and Continuing Planning Process (WQMP-CPP), the Nonpoint Source Management Program, the Surface Water Quality Standards (WQS), regulations for discharge to surface waters, the regulation of disposal of refuse in watercourses, a spill-cleanup regulation and the Utility Operators Certification Program. The WQCC has no technical staff of its own and therefore delegates the responsibilities for water quality management activities to constituent agencies, generally the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) or the Oil Conservation Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Responsibilities for water quality management activities involving surface waters are delegated to the SWQB of the NMED.

NMED's SWQB is responsible for the development of most elements of the WQMP-CPP. These planning elements are intended to be foundational to the WQS.  The WQS are designed to protect statewide water quality by defining allowable pollution limits on both a general and a reach-by-reach basis.  Wherever WQS are exceeded, the state is required to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan for those impacted waterbodies.  The 303(d) List identifies impaired stream reaches requiring TMDLs.  The 303(d) list as well as a summary of water quality throughout the state is provided every two years in the NM Integrated Clean Water Act (CWA) §303(d)/§305(b) Report.  The overarching goal of these planning documents is to move forward with the objectives of the federal CWA's mandate to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the New Mexico's waters.

Planning Essentials... 10-Year Monitoring and Assessment Strategy 613 kb Quality Assurance Project Plan     Quality Management Plan     Water Quality Management Plan - Continuing Planning Process

More Related Topics of Interest... Standards for Interstate/Intrastate Surface Waters GIS:  Geographic Information System with monitoring and watershed data Monitoring and Assessment CWA §303(d)/§305(b) Integrated Report Nonpoint Source Management Program Point Source Regulation Program NPDES Permits in New Mexico NPDES Storm Water Outstanding National Resource Waters River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative Standard Operating Procedures for Data Collection Total Maximum Daily Loads Watershed Protection

Other Important Links...

US Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act   Section 303:  Water Quality Standards and Implementation Plans   Section 303(d): Total Maximum Daily Loads Section 305(b):  Water Pollution Inventories Section 402:  National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Policy and Guidance Water Quality Control Commission