TMDL 101 –Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About

Total Maximum Daily Loads

Staci GoodwinSenior TMDL Project Manager

Office of Water Quality

Presentation Overview

• The Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL)

• The TMDL Process

The Total Maximum Daily Load Program

What is it and what does it do?

What is a Total Maximum Daily Load?

• The amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards

• A report of pollutant sources and needed reductions

• A tool to guide watershed planning

What is a Watershed?

TMDL Components• The sum of allowable loads from point sources

(WLA) and nonpoint sources (LA) plus a margin of safety (MOS)

TMDL = ∑WLA + ∑LA + MOS

Why do TMDLs?• Required by the Clean Water

Act

• Provide overview of watershed condition

• Guide local actions to correct problems

What Will a TMDL Provide?• A tool for watershed

management

• One-stop-shop for all watershed data

• Load reductions needed to meet water quality standards

The TMDL Process

An overview of how TMDLs are created

What are Impaired Waters?• Waterbodies sampled for

water quality

• Waterbodies where a “use” is adversely affected

• Waterbodies assessed by IDEM

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

Indiana’s Water Quality • Problems – E. coli, Impaired Biotic

Communities, and Fish Consumption Advisories

• Extent – 35,673 miles of streams

– 63% support aquatic life

– 46% support full body contact

– Statewide fish consumption issues

What is the TMDL Process?• Gather data

• Reassess waterbodies

• Hold a kickoff stakeholder meeting

• Produce draft TMDL report

• Hold a draft stakeholder meeting

• 30-day comment period

• Final TMDL

• U.S. EPA approval

Internal Data Gathering• ArcGIS map of area• 303(d) listing

information• Assessment database• Landuse GAP

• Confined Feeding Operations

• Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

• NPDES permits• NPDES violations• Enforcement cases

External Data Gathering• Stakeholders

• Soil and Water Conservation Districts

• Health Departments

• Federal Government Agencies

• Watershed groups

• Purdue Extension offices

• Universities

Reassessing a Waterbody

• Evaluate listing inconsistencies

• Determine what is and is not impaired

• Incorporate new data into the TMDL process

Stakeholder Meetings• Explain the process

• Ask for information

• Present information

• Build local partnerships

The TMDL Report• Overview of watershed condition

• Identification of sources

• Discussion of analytical process

• Load reductions

• Current water quality efforts

• Recommended actions

TMDL Facts• Stakeholder driven process

• Based on specific watershed data

• Non-regulatory program

• Can impact permits

• “Living Document”

Putting It All Together

Locally Led Work to Improve Water

Quality

Nonpoint Source Grants

Program

Total Maximum

Daily Loads

(TMDL)

Watershed Specialists

303(d) List and 305(b) Report

The Result?

Questions?

Staci GoodwinSenior TMDL Project ManagerWatershed Restoration and Planning SectionOffice of Water QualityIndiana Department of Environmental Management100 North Senate AvenueIndianapolis, Indiana 46204

PH: (317) 308-3387FX: (317) 308-3219EMAIL: sgoodwin@idem.IN.gov

White River Headwaters TMDLKickoff Meeting Technical Presentation

Stakeholder Meeting

May 26, 2011

Presentation Overview

• Why are we here?

• What do we already know?

• What happens next?

WHY ARE WE HERE?

An overview of the water quality issue,the location of the TMDL, and information collected by

IDEM to help start the process

Framing the TMDL project• Issues

– Elevated levels of E. coli bacteria in the watershed

• Why do we care?– Waterbodies listed on the 303(d) list– Violations of the state water quality

standard– Increased risks to human health

Indiana’s E. coli Water Quality Standard

April 1st through October 31st, E. coli bacteria shall not exceed 125 cfu per 100 milliliters as a geometric mean based on not less than five samples equally spaced over a 30-day period or 235 cfu per 100 milliliters in any one sample in a 30-day period

From Indiana Administrative code 327 IAC 2-1.5-8(e)

Upper White River Headwaters

WHAT DO WE ALREADY KNOW?

An overview of information IDEM has collected on the extent of impairments, land use in the watershed,

water quality data, and possible sources

Impaired Streams

US 20

SR 2I80/I90

Sample Sites

Land use

Land Use

NPDES Permitted Facilities

Parker City Municipal WWTP

Winchester WWTPFarmland Municipal STP

Union Elementary & High School

Muncie Sanitary District CSOs

Winchester WWTP CSOs

Confined Feeding Operations

Keesling Leroy

Guthrie

Keesling & Sons

Farm #1

Keesling

Reeder Brothers Cattle FarmFarm #2

Jacobi

HamiltonTed HendricksonHendrickson (CAFO)Stoney Creek Farms (CAFO)Stoney Creek (CAFO)

Harris

Chamberlain Swine

Stoney Creek

Indiana Trail Nurseries

Buena VistaUnion-Go Dairy

TK Hog Farm

Lick Skillet

Peacock

Thornburg

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

What IDEM will be working on and how YOU can get involved and help with the TMDL project

Next Steps for IDEM• Gather more information

• Write the TMDL report

• Present all findings

• Make information available

Additional Sources of Information• Health Departments in Randolph and

Delaware Counties• County Soil and Water Conservation Districts• Indiana Department of Natural Resources• Hoosier Riverwatch

IDEM Needs Your Help• We need information on –

– Water quality data

– Possible pollution sources

– Potential stakeholders

– Studies, reports, documents

– Projects that have improved water quality

• How can you reach us?

– Phone, fax, e-mail, or send us a letter!

TMDL Project Timeline

• Additional data due by mid-June 2011

• Draft TMDL completed by July 2011

• Draft Stakeholder Meeting July 2011

– 30 day public comment period

• Submit final TMDL to U.S. EPA

– 30 days to approve TMDL

Selena MedranoTMDL Project ManagerOffice of Water QualityIndiana Department of Environmental Management100 North Senate AvenueIndianapolis, Indiana 46204-2251

Phone: (317) 308-3094Fax: (317) 308-3219E-mail: smedrano@idem.IN.govwww.watersheds.IN.gov/2347.htm

Questions?