The Department of Natural Resources manages water quality through the implementation of the State's water quality standards. These standards are found in Chapter 61 of the Iowa Administrative Code. The State's water quality standards help ensure that all Iowans have surface waters that are fishable and swimmable to the fullest extent practicable and water resources that are put to their best beneficial uses.
Years after the Clean Water Act of 1972 was adopted, EPA completed rules to include storm water discharges in the NPDES permit program. Since Iowa was delegated the NPDES program for wastewater discharges, delegation was requested for storm water discharges as well. Information regarding the storm water permit program and how it is managed by the Iowa DNR can be found in the following pages:
Any discharge from a facility or construction site that may temporarily degrade an Outstanding National Resource Water or Outstanding State Resource Water is required to be permitted by an individual NPDES permit, as stipulated in subparagraph 567-64.7(2)f.(5) of the Iowa Administrative Code and in the Iowa Antidegradation Implementation Procedure. General permit coverage is not available for these discharges. The list of these waters is located in Appendix B of the Antidegradation Implementation Procedure.