FAQ

What are Special Protection Waters?

All streams and waterbodies in the State have been assessed and classified according to current water quality and use. Special protection waters are those streams that have the highest water quality and meet other criteria. It has been determined that these areas should be protected to a greater degree to assure that degradation, which is the lowering of water quality, does not occur. There are two classifications of “Special Protections Streams.”

· “High Quality Waters” - This is a stream or watershed which has excellent quality waters and environmental or other features that require special water quality protection.

· “Exceptional Values Waters” - This is defined as a stream or watershed which constitutes and outstanding national, State, regional or local resource, such as waters of national, State, or county parks or forests; or waters which are used as a source of unfiltered potable water supply, or waters of wildlife refuges, or State game lands, or waters which have been characterized by the Fish Commission as “Wilderness Trout Stream” and other waters of substantial recreational or ecological significance.

· Exceptional Value Wetlands – In addition to the Special Protection streams, DEP Regulations also recognize several types of wetlands as having a high value that should be protected to a greater level. In Columbia County, the main group of these specially protected wetlands includes any wetland located in or along the floodplain of a reach of a wild trout stream or a water listed as an exceptional value stream. This also includes wetlands in the floodplain of any stream tributary to them.

Most DEP permits and regulations address the need to protect these waters by requiring additional requirements and controls to be used in any project located in these watersheds. In addition, some projects or the use of some general permits may not be allowed in specific Special Protection Waters. Contact the Conservation District or DEP for assistance with these requirements.

Map of Special Protection Areas in Columbia County

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