Transcript IDEM TMDL 101 Everything you wanted to know about Total Maximum Daily Loads Big Raccoon Creek Watershed TMDL Stakeholder Meeting June 26, 2013

IDEM TMDL 101
Everything you wanted to know about Total Maximum Daily Loads
Big Raccoon Creek Watershed TMDL
Stakeholder Meeting
June 26, 2013
Presentation Overview
• The Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL)
• The TMDL Development Process
• The TMDL Document
Presentation Overview
• The Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL)
• The TMDL Development Process
• The TMDL Document
What Is a Total Maximum
Daily Load?
• Identifying the pollutant
• Determining the current level of the pollutant
• Calculating the amount of the pollutant that a waterbody
can receive and still meet water quality standards
• A report of pollutant sources, needed reductions, and
actions necessary to improve water quality
• A tool to guide watershed planning
History of Indiana TMDL Program
• 2001 IDEM submits first TMDL
• 2005 IDEM meets submission goals from U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)
• 2006 IDEM develops and submits TMDLS
– IDEM developed first state-led multistate TMDL
• 2012
– U.S. EPA submission goals have been continuously met since 2005
– IDEM has developed a TMDL template designed to meet the nine
elements of a Watershed Management Plan (WMP)
– IDEM has 1,055 approved TMDLs
What Is a Watershed?
The Definition of a TMDL
• The sum of allowable loads from point
sources, waste load allocations (WLA) and
nonpoint sources, load allocations (LA) plus a
margin of safety (MOS)
What Does a Total Maximum Daily
Load Provide?
• Information- A description of the watershed and the water
quality data on the impairment
• Sources- Overview of the potential sources of the pollutant
• Loads- The amount of the pollutant of concern that a
waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards or
targets that apply to the watershed
• Reductions- A list of the pollutant load reductions necessary to
meet the water quality standards or targets that apply to the
watershed
• Implementation- A tool to guide watershed planning and
restoration activities
TMDL Development Selection Process
• Water Quality Reports
• 305(b) - Assess water quality and report to U.S. EPA, Congress
• 303(d) - Compile list of impaired waters
• Product - Indiana Integrated Water Monitoring and Assessment Report
• 303(d) list
• Start with 1998 and use subsequent list to complete watershed
assessment
• Other
• Watershed group request
• Special projects
Allocations
• Waste load Allocation (WLA)
– WLAs are the contributions from point sources
– Point sources are much easier to identify since
they have a discharge point or direct outlet to the
stream
– Point sources have some type of monitoring or
information and are therefore easier to assign
loadings
Allocations
• Load Allocation (LA)
– LAs are the pollutant contributions from nonpoint
sources, which are not directly regulated
– "Diffuse" pollution, generated from large areas
with no particular point of pollutant origin, but
rather from many individual places
– Pollution that cannot be traced to a regulated
direct outlet or discharge point
Allocations
• Margin of Safety (MOS)
– MOS may be either implicit or explicit
– Implicit
• Incorporated into the TMDL through conservative
assumptions in the analysis
– Explicit
• Expressed in the TMDL as loadings set aside for the
MOS
Presentation Overview
• The Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL)
• The TMDL Development Process
• The TMDL Document
What Is the TMDL Process?
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Review 303(d) list and sampling data
Conduct additional monitoring
Reassess waterbodies
Gather information and produce draft TMDL report
Draft TMDL stakeholder meeting
30-day comment period
Revise draft TMDL and respond to comments on draft final
TMDL
• Submit TMDL to U.S. EPA and receive final TMDL approval
What Are Impaired Waters?
• Waterbodies sampled for water quality, assessed by
IDEM and listed on the 303(d) List of Impaired Waters
• Waterbodies where a “use” is adversely affected
– Fishable, Swimmable, Drinkable
• Waterbodies then sampled for TMDL magnitude and
extent of impairment
• Streams are then reassessed
Indiana’s Most Common
Water Quality Impairments
• Problems:
– E. coli
– Impaired Biotic Communities
– Statewide fish consumption advisory
• Mercury
• PCB
Reassessing a Waterbody
• Evaluate listing inconsistencies
• Evaluate new monitoring data
– Determine extent of impairment
– Incorporate new data into the TMDL process
– Refine loading for load reduction development
Internal Data Gathering
• Confined Feeding
Operations
• Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operations
• NPDES permits
• NPDES violations
• Enforcement cases
• ArcGIS map of area
• 303(d) listing
information
• Assessment database
• Land use
External Data Gathering
• Stakeholders
• Soil and Water Conservation Districts
• Health Departments
• Federal and State Government Agencies
• Watershed Groups
• Purdue Extension Offices
• Universities
Presentation Overview
• The Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL)
• The TMDL Development Process
• The TMDL Document
The TMDL Document
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Overview of watershed condition
Identification of sources
Discussion of analytical process
Load reductions needed
Current and past water quality improvement
efforts
• Recommended actions
What Does a Total Maximum Daily
Load Provide?
• Information- A description of the watershed and the water
quality data on the impairment
• Sources- Overview of the potential sources of the pollutant
• Loads- The amount of the pollutant of concern that a
waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards or
targets that apply to the watershed
• Reductions- A list of the pollutant load reductions necessary to
meet the water quality standards or targets that apply to the
watershed
• Implementation- A tool to guide watershed planning and
restoration activities
TMDL Goals
• IDEM is committed to a stakeholder-driven
process
– Collecting information from local stakeholders
– Providing staff to communicate with stakeholders
and share information
– Watershed specialists assist with watershed
management plan (WMP) development
Putting it All Together
Nonpoint
Source Grants
Program
303(d) List
and 305(b)
Report
Locally Led Work to
Improve Water
Quality
Watershed
Specialists
Total
Maximum
Daily Loads
(TMDL)
Questions?
Staci Goodwin
Senior TMDL Project Manager
Office of Water Quality
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Phone: (317) 308-3387
Fax: (317) 308-3219
E-mail: [email protected]