The United States from the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) sets national guidelines that say how clean water needs to be so fish, plants, and other aquatic life stay safe. These include short-term (acute) limits for sudden pollution and long-term (chronic) limits for exposures over many days. States and tribes use these guidelines when making local standards for rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. If you follow water quality guidelines from the United States from the Environmental protection Agency (EPA), select this option.