| #Q001 | administrative | health | guidance | Use of Recommended Criteria as Guidance | recreational water | State and Tribal governments can use the recommended criteria as guidance when setting their own water quality standards to protect human health. | | high |
| #Q002 | administrative | health | guidance | Development of Alternative Water Quality Criteria | recreational water | States and Tribes can transparently develop alternative water quality criteria that are scientifically defensible and protective of human health to the same level as EPA’s 2012 RWQC. | | high |
| #Q003 | administrative | operational | mandatory | Five-Year Reviews of RWQC | recreational water | The EPA is required by the BEACH Act amendments to CWA section 304(a)(9)(B) to conduct reviews every five years of the agency's RWQC. | | high |
| #Q004 | administrative | health | guidance | Adoption of Cyanotoxin Criteria and Advisories | recreational water | States, territories, and authorized Tribes can consider adopting these recommended criteria into their water quality standards and using them for CWA purposes. Alternatively, they can use these values as the basis of swimming advisories for public notification purposes at recreational waters. | | high |
| #Q005 | administrative | health | recommended | Adoption of 2012 RWQC During Coliphage Evaluation | recreational water | While the EPA conducts its evaluation of coliphages as possible viral indicators for water quality, we continue to recommend that states adopt our 2012 RWQC into their water quality standards. | While the EPA conducts its evaluation of coliphages as possible viral indicators for water quality | high |