Guidance

Agency guidance documents include written documents intended to guide agency actions affecting the rights or interests of people or groups outside the agency (Idaho Code § 67-5250(2)).

Other policy documents are intended to guide internal matters within the agency.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a legally nonbinding agreement between two or more parties that outlines the terms and details of a mutual understanding or agreement, noting each party’s requirements and responsibilities.

Agency policy statements and guidance documents shall not have the force and effect of law pursuant to Idaho Code § 67-5207A.

Program	Type	Document(s)
Surface Water	Policy	401 Certification – ACOE 60 Day Deadline Policy Directive
Air Quality	Guidance	A Guide to Visible Emissions Evaluations
Drinking Water	Guidance	After the Flood: Protecting Your Drinking Water
Water Quality	Agreement	Agreement for funding and management for Coeur d'Alene Lake Management Plan
Air Quality	Policy	Air Quality Administrative Penalties Policy PS25-04
Air Quality	Guidance	Air Quality in Idaho: Supplemental Fugitive Dust Control Information
Surface Water	Memorandum	Application of Water Quality Standards to Non-Perennial Waters
Solid Waste	Memorandum	Between the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and IDEQ regarding regulations of composting facilities
Wastewater	Guidance	Biosolids Beneficial Use and Disposal Flowchart
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Land Transfer Policy PS25-01
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Waste Acceptance Criteria
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Analysis of Remedial Actions and Recommended Risk Management Approaches
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Final Repository Cap Design Standards at East Mission Flats and Big Creek Repositories
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Institutional Controls Program, Barrier Design Criteria, and Permitting Requirements
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Limited Use Repositories Policy
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Residential and Commercial Carpeting Disposal Policy
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Responsibilities for Repair of Impacted Barriers from Small Scale and Localized Floods or Natural Disasters
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Soil and Dust Sample Sieving Policy
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site Waste Acceptance, Treatment, and Disposal Requirements for Petroleum Contaminated Soils under the Institutional Controls Program
Drinking Water	Guidance	Choosing an Environmental Consultant
Agency-wide	Protocol	Communication Protocol Between DEQ and BCEH Regarding Risks to Human Health From Environmental Contaminants
Surface Water	Guidance	Concepts and Recommendations for Using the “Natural Conditions” Provisions of the Idaho Water Quality Standards
Surface Water	Memorandum	Continuous Temperature Monitoring Requirements in NPDES Permits
Agency-wide	Policy	Creative Assets Policy PS24-01
Air Quality	Guidance	Crop Residue Burning Operating Guide
Wastewater	Memorandum	Delegation of Authority for Issuing Waivers for the sections of the Idaho Rules for Public Drinking Water Systems, Wastewater Rules, and Recycled Water Rules
Drinking Water	Guidance	Demonstrating Technical, Financial, and Managerial Capacity in New Public Water Systems
Surface Water	Policy	Assessing Salmonid Spawning in Idaho Waterbodies
Surface Water	Guidance	DEQ Procedures for Decontamination of Monitoring Equipment
WM&R	Policy	Innocent Landowner Policy
Wastewater	Memorandum	Determination of Reasonably Accessible Sewer
Drinking Water	Policy	Determining Interest Rate on Loans from the Water Pollution Control and Drinking Water Loan Accounts Policy PS23-08
Agency-wide	Policy	Developing Guidance Documents Policy PS25-06
Water Quality	Policy	Dispute Resolution Advisory Panel for Plan and Specification Engineering Disputes Policy PS20-08
Drinking Water	Fact Sheet	Drinking Water Cross-Connection Control Programs
Drinking Water	Guidance	Drinking Water Monitoring Waiver Guidance
Drinking Water	Policy	Drinking Water Penalty Policy PS22-02
Drinking Water	Guidance	Drinking Water Separation and Setback Design Guidance
Drinking Water	Guidance	Drinking water, submersible pumps, and mercury seals: A potential problem
Air Quality	Guidance	Dust, Fugitive: Prevention and Control Plan
Air Quality	Guidance	Emissions Data Hierarchy Guidance
Agency-wide	Manual	Enforcement Procedures Manual
WM&R	Agreement	Memorandum of Agreement between EPA and DEQ regarding Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
WM&R	Agreement	Memorandum of Agreement between EPA and DEQ regarding Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
WM&R	Agreement	Memorandum of Agreement between EPA and DEQ Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Wastewater	Guidance	EPA Biosolids Guidance
IPDES	Letter	EPA Letter of Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program Authorization and CROMERR Approval, E. Scott Pruitt, June 5, 2018
IPDES	Letter	EPA Letter to DEQ Finding Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program Application Submission Complete, Dennis J. McLerran, September 3, 2016
Drinking Water	Guidance	Grant and Loans Customer Handbook
WM&R	Policy	Groundwater Monitoring for Small Exempt Municipal Solid Waste Landfills Policy 25-02
Drinking Water	Guidance	Guidance for Actions to be Taken Following Drinking Water System Depressurization
Drinking Water	Guidance	Guidance for Determining Equalization Water Storage for Public Water Systems
Ground Water	Guidance	Guidance for Developing a Ground Water Quality Monitoring Program for Managed Recharge Projects by Land Application
Wastewater	Guidance	Guidance for Evaluating Wastewater Lagoon Seepage Rates
Drinking Water	Guidance	Guidance for Handling Waste Residuals Resulting from Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water / Wastewater	Guidance	Guidance for Hiring a Contract Operator - Drinking Water/Wastewater
Surface Water	Guidance	Guidance for Interpreting Antidegradation Policy for Unassessed, Ephemeral, and Intermittent Streams
Wastewater	Guidance	Guidance for Land Application of Municipal Biosolids
Drinking Water	Guidance	Guidance for New Source Water Testing Procedures for Public Drinking Water Systems
Drinking Water	Guidance	Guidance for Public Water System Disposal of Water from Construction, Maintenance, and Operations
Recycled Water / Reuse	Guidance	Guidance for Reclamation and Reuse of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater
Solid Waste	Guidance	Guidance for Siting, Design, and Operation of Nonhazardous Solid Waste Impoundments in Idaho
Solid Waste	Guidance	Guidance for Siting, Design, and Operations of Non-Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in Idaho
Air Quality	Guidance	Guidance for the Remediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Media
Surface Water	Guidance	Guidance for the Use of Wood Preservatives
Drinking Water	Guidance	Guidance to Determine Continual Operational Problems Necessitating Submittal of an Operation and Maintenance Manual
Surface Water	Guidance	Guide to Selection of Sediment Targets for Use in Idaho TMDLs
Air Quality	Guidance	Guideline for Performing Air Quality Impact Analyses
Hazardous Waste	Manual	Hazardous Waste Enforcement Procedures Manual
WM&R	Policy	Hazardous Waste Management Act Civil Penalties Policy PS25-08
Drinking Water	Guidance	How to Hire an Engineer for Public Water System and Wastewater System Design or Modification
Surface Water	Guidance	Idaho Antidegradation Implementation Procedures
Storm Water	Guidance	Idaho Catalog of Storm Water Best Management Practices
Ground Water	Agreement	Idaho Ground Water Protection Interagency Cooperative Agreement between Idaho DEQ, Idaho Department of Water Resources, Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Idaho Public Health Districts, and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Surface Water	Guidance	Idaho Mixing Zone Implementation Guidance
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application Program Description 2016
IPDES	Letter	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application, 2017 Cover Letter
IPDES	Letter	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application, Attorney General’s Signed Certification
IPDES	Letter	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application, Governor’s Letter
IPDES	Agreement	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with EPA
IPDES	Letter	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application, Program Description
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Compliance Monitoring Strategy
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Compliance Monitoring Strategy
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Designation Criteria and Selection Process for Small MS4s
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Effluent Limit Development Guidance
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Enforcement Response Guide
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Industrial User Survey Guidance
IPDES	Memorandum	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System MOU with Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA)
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Public Participation in the Permitting Process
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Technical Support Document Reasonable Potential Analysis Workbook
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Tribal Participation Process
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System User’s Guide to Permitting and Compliance Volume 2—Publicly Owned Treatment Works
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System User’s Guide to Permitting and Compliance Volume 3—Non-POTW
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System User’s Guide to Permitting and Compliance Volume 4—General Permits Excluding Storm Water
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System User’s Guide to Permitting and Compliance Volume 5—Storm Water
IPDES	Guidance	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System User’s Guide to Permitting and Compliance Volume 6—Sewage Sludge (Biosolids)
Surface Water	Guidance	Idaho Waste Management Guidelines for Aquaculture Operations
Drinking Water	Guidance	Idaho’s Initial Monitoring Requirements for New Public Drinking Water Sources
Water Quality	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for Idaho’s Human Health Water Quality Arsenic Criteria
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Drinking Water Program – Ground Water Rule
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Filter Backwash Recycling Rule
Surface Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Idaho Copper Criteria for Aquatic Life: Using the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM)
Surface Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Idaho Mercury Water Quality Criteria
Surface Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Idaho Selenium Criteria for Aquatic Life
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Long-Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Long-Term One Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products Rule
Drinking Water	Guidance	Implementation Guidance for the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products Rule
Surface Water	Guidance	Implementation of The 2016 Idaho Mixing Zone Guidance
Water Quality	Agreement	Interagency agreement between DEQ and the Idaho Division of Building Safety – Plumbing Bureau
Air Quality	Guidance	Interpreting the Word “Addressed” in Subsection 210.20.
IPDES	Guidance	daho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Effluent Limit Development Guidance (Supplemental)
IPDES	Memorandum	Idaho Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Application, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Idaho Transportation Department
IPDES	Guidance	IPDES User’s Guide to Permitting and Compliance Volume 1—General Information
WM&R	Policy	Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Program Cost Recovery Policy PS23-05
WM&R	Policy	Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Program Penalty Policy PS23-04
Wastewater	Guidance	Level 1 Nutrient-Pathogen Evaluation Mass-Balance Spreadsheet
Agency-wide	Policy	Logo Clothing and Field and Safety Gear Policy PS22-03
Water Quality	Memorandum	Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Scope Directive
Wastewater	Memorandum	Separation Distances from Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems to an In-Ground Pool (2013)
Agency-wide	Agreement	Memorandum of Agreement Between DEQ and BCEH Regarding Risks to Human Health From Environmental Contaminants (also see DEQ-BCEH protocol)
Surface Water	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Implementing the Nonpoint Source Water Quality Program in Idaho
Drinking Water / Wastewater	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding between Department of Environmental Quality and Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
Drinking Water	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding Between DEQ and Bureau of Labs
Agency-wide	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding Between DEQ and Idaho Dairymen's Association, Inc.
Agency-wide	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding Between DEQ and Idaho’s Public Health Districts
IPDES	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding between DEQ and the City of Boise
Water Quality	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding Between DEQ and The Idaho Rural Water Association (IRWA)
Agency-wide	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding Between the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection
IPDES	Memorandum	Memorandum of Understanding for DEQ IPDES and US EPA – Development and Maintenance of the NPDES Electronic Reporting Tool NeT for ID Aquaculture
Water Quality	Memorandum	2025 Memorandum of Understanding Water Quality Division Environmental Performance Partnership Agreement (WQ PPA)
Surface Water	Memorandum	Memorandum of Agreement between Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and Idaho Department of Lands for Shared Stewardship Collaboration
Agency-wide	Policy	Mobile Devices Policy PS22-01
Air Quality	Guidance	Modeling Guidance
WM&R	Memorandum	Mountain Home Airforce Base and DEQ MOU
Wastewater	Guidance	Nutrient-Pathogen Evaluation Program for On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems
Grants and Loans	Agreement	Operational agreement - Management of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program (March 2018)
Grants and Loans	Agreement	Operational agreement – Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program (March 2018)
WM&R	Policy	Owners of Property Containing Contamination from Off-site Sources Policy PS25-07
Agency-wide	Policy	Peer Review Policy PS25-09
Wastewater	Guidance	Pile Sampling White Paper
Drinking Water	Guidance	Point of Use Guidance
Ground Water	Policy	Policy for Addressing Degraded Ground Water Quality Areas
WM&R	Policy	Bunker Hill Superfund Site, Operable Unit 3 Residential and Community Mean Soil Lead Levels Policy
Air Quality	Policy	Policy on Reviewing a Request for Institution with Sensitive Population Status for the Crop Residue Burning Program PM10-03
Agency-wide	Policy	Policy Statement Development and Maintenance PS25-05
Agency-wide	Policy	Policy Statement for Social Media PS23-02
Drinking Water	Guidance	Procedure for Determining Ground Water Under the Direct Influence of Surface Water (GWUDI)
Air Quality	Manual	Procedures Manual for Air Pollution Control
Drinking Water	Guidance	Protecting Drinking Water Sources in Idaho
WM&R	Policy	PS20-12 Hazardous Waste Management Act Civil Penalties
Agency-wide	Policy	Public Records Requests Policy PS23-06
Agency-wide	Policy	Quality Management Policy PS21-03
Drinking Water	Guidance	Recommendations for Hiring a Contract Operator: For Idaho Public Drinking Water and Public Wastewater Systems
Agency-wide	Policy	Records Management Policy PS23-07
Wastewater	Memorandum	Regulation of Byproducts and Wastewater from Beef Cattle Animal Feeding Operations
Wastewater	Memorandum	Regulation of Byproducts and Wastewater from Cultured Dairy Production
Wastewater	Memorandum	Relative to Oil and Gas Conservation, Water Quality, Waste Facility Plans, and Air Quality
Recycled Water / Reuse	Procedure	Reuse Permit Handoff Standard Operating Procedure
Recycled Water / Reuse	Guidance	Reuse Permit Writer’s Manual
Drinking Water	Fact Sheet	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Level 1 & Level 2 Assessments and Corrective Actions
Drinking Water	Fact Sheet	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Repeat Monitoring Requirements for Small Systems
Drinking Water	Fact Sheet	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Requirements for Seasonal Systems
Drinking Water	Fact Sheet	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Requirements for Small Systems on Monthly Monitoring
Drinking Water	Fact Sheet	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Requirements for Small Systems on Quarterly Monitoring
Drinking Water	Guidance	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Sample Instructions
Drinking Water	Guidance	Revised Total Coliform Rule: Seasonal Start-Up Procedures
Wastewater	Guidance	Rule Interpretation for Land Application of Bagged Biosolids that Meet Class A Exceptional Quality Requirements
Agency-wide	Policy	Safety Policy PS23-01
Surface Water	Guidance	Section 401 Water Quality Certification Guidance
Wastewater	Guidance	Seepage Test Spreadsheet for Electronic Method
Wastewater	Guidance	Seepage Test Spreadsheet for Manual Method or Hook Gauge
Wastewater	Memorandum	Septic Tank Manholes
Drinking Water	Guidance	Slow Sand Filter Guidance for Authorizing Service after Scraping, Resanding, or Reopening
Air Quality	Manual	Source Test Guidance Manual
Surface Water	Guidance	State of Idaho Guidance for Development of Total Maximum Daily Loads
Ground Water	Guidance	Statistical Guidance for Determining Background Ground Water Quality and Degradation
Agency-wide	Policy	Succession and Delegation of Authority Policy PS21-04
WM&R	Policy	Supplemental Environmental Projects Policy PS25-03
Drinking Water	Guidance	Surface Water Treatment Rule Compliance Guidance
Surface Water	Memorandum	Synching TMDLs with the Integrated Report
Wastewater	Guidance	Technical Guidance Manual
WM&R	Policy	Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program Penalty PS23-03
Surface Water	Guidance	Use Attainability Analysis Guidance
Wastewater	Guidance	Visual Sample Plan (VSP) software
Wastewater	Guidance	Wastewater Lagoon Seepage Test Statistical Review
Wastewater	Manual	Wastewater Land Application Operators Study and Reference Manual
Surface Water	Guidance	Water Body Assessment Guidance 3rd Edition
Surface Water	Policy	Water Quality Administrative Penalty Guidance
Surface Water	Protocol	Water Quality Monitoring Protocols for Placement and Retrieval of Temperature Data Loggers in Idaho Streams
Surface Water	Guidance	Water Quality Trading Guidance
Wastewater	Memorandum	County, State, and Federal Department/Agency Exemption from Installer’s Registration Permit
Wastewater	Guidance	Guidance for the Land Application of Domestic Septage WW
Wastewater	Memorandum	Large Soil Absorption System Ground Water Constituent Monitoring (2016)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Authority to Revoke a Subsurface Sewage Permit (1995)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Failing Subsurface Sewage Disposal System
Wastewater	Memorandum	Guidance on Recording Waypoints from Subsurface Sewage Disposal Drainfields (2018)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal Site Evaluations in Wetlands (1998)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Large Soil Absorption Systems
Wastewater	Memorandum	Permit Requirements for Increased Flows at Single Family Dwellings
Wastewater	Memorandum	Permitting Requirements for Federal and State Agencies
Wastewater	Memorandum	Recommended Language for all SSD Permits (2021)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Revocation of a Subsurface Sewage Disposal Installer or Septic Tank Pumper Permit (2014)
Wastewater	Memorandum	DEQ RV Park On-Site Wastewater Disposal Systems
Wastewater	Memorandum	Septic Tank Pumper Permit Verbiage and Permit Application/Renewal Dates
Wastewater	Memorandum	Septic Tanks and Dosing Chamber Uses (2014)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Split Flows (IDAPA 58.01.03.007.15) (2014)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Subsurface Sewage Disposal Permit Application Supplement for Non-Domestic Wastewater Use, Review, and Approval (2016)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Use of Multi-Compartment Septic Tanks as Individual Residence Septic Tank Effluent Pump Stations (2015)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Use of Multiple Septic Tanks in Series
Wastewater	Memorandum	Variance to IDAPA 58.01.03 Process and Inclusion of the Technical Guidance Committee (2014)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Engineering Design Review for Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems (2015)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Subsurface Sewage Disposal Permits that Span Multiple Properties (Easements)
Wastewater	Memorandum	Use of Wastewater Holding Tanks (2023)

Resources