During the Water Quality Assessment process, monitoring results are analyzed to determine if the water quality meets set standards and is clean enough for swimming, fishing and other uses. If water quality falls below a certain level of cleanliness, DEQ identifies the location, the area of concern (such as high bacteria counts) and the likely sources (such as failing septic systems or feedlot runoff). The streams that do not meet Virginia water quality standards are listed in a widely circulated Water Quality Assessment 305(b)/303(d) Integrated Report.

Over the long-term, DEQ, in cooperation with many other state and federal agencies, must develop and implement cleanup plans to restore the health of these listed streams. The restoration plans are known as Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs, which determine the total amount of a pollutant that can enter a stream without harming it.

For questions related to Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and Water Quality Impact Assessments required by local Bay Act programs, please contact either your locality's Bay Act liaison or the Local Contact/Program Coordinator in your jurisdiction. Contact information for both individuals can be found here: Local Program Assistance