Water Quality Standards to Protect Human Health in Florida
On November 30th, 2023, the EPA Administrator signed a proposed rule to establish new and revised human health water quality criteria for certain pollutants in the State of Florida. If finalized, the proposed rule would reflect the latest science to protect the health of Floridians by improving the quality of the water they fish from and use as drinking water sources.
- Proposed Rule - Water Quality Standards: Protect Human Health in Florida
- Press Release: EPA Proposes Revising Certain Water Quality Standards for Florida’s Waters
- Fact Sheet: Water Quality Standards to Protect Human Health in Florida - Proposed Rule (pdf)
- Determination that new and revised human health criteria are needed to protect against adverse human health effects related to pollutants in Florida's surface waters (pdf)
Public Hearings
EPA held two public hearings during the public comment period.
- January 23, 2024 from 9-11am EST.
- January 24, 2024 from 4-6pm EST.
EPA will consider all oral comments provided during the hearings along with written comments submitted via the docket for this rulemaking (available at Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2023-0378).
Submitting Public Comments on the Proposal
EPA accepted comments on the proposed rule during the 60-day comment period. This comment period ended February 6th, 2024. Comments were submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal.