Sec. 4. 38 MRSA §465-B, sub-§3, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 698, §15, is amended to read:

B. The dissolved oxygen content of Class SC waters shall be may not be less than 70% of saturation 5.5 parts per million as a one-day average and not less than 5.0 parts per million at any time. Between May 15th and September 30th, the numbers of enterococcus bacteria of human and domestic animal origin in these waters may not exceed a geometric mean of 14 per 100 milliliters or an instantaneous level of 94 per 100 milliliters. The numbers of total coliform bacteria or other specified indicator organisms in samples representative of the waters in restricted shellfish harvesting areas may not exceed the criteria recommended under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program Manual of Operations, Part I, Sanitation of Shellfish Growing Areas, United States Food and Drug Administration.

SUMMARY

This bill, which is based on the recommendations of the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to Resolve 2003, chapter 39, amends the bacteria standard for Class B and Class C waters. It also amends the dissolved oxygen standard for Class SB and Class SC waters.