EPA’s examples of narrative criteria

“All waters, including those within mixing zones, shall be free from substances attributable to wastewater discharges or other pollutant sources that:

1) settle to form objectionable deposits;
2) float as debris, scum, oil, or other matter forming nuisances;
3) produce objectionable color, odor, taste, or turbidity;
4) cause injury to, or are toxic to, or produce adverse physiological responses in humans, animals, or plants; or
5) produce undesirable or nuisance aquatic life.”

(54 Fed. Reg. 28627, July 6, 1989)

Narrative criteria such as these are often referred to informally as a state’s “free from” standards.

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