Watershed Management
Revisions to TMDL Regulations and Guidance
Background: Under CWA Section 303(d), states are required to identify waters in which technology-based effluent limitations are not sufficient to meet water quality-based standards, and requires states to develop TMDLs for these waters which will ensure that applicable water quality standards are met. Under Section 303, EPA must develop TMDLs when states fail to do so. In November 1996, EPA convened a federal advisory committee of stakeholder interests to develop recommendations concerning needed changes to the agency’s TMDL program implementation strategy, as well as TMDL-related policies, guidance, regulations and priorities.
Status: EPA plans to propose revisions to its TMDL program regulations and accompanying guidance in February 1999 and will finalize these revisions in October 1999. CONTACT: Mark Hoeke, AMSA 202/833-9106 or Don Brady, EPA 202/260-5368.
Related Items of Interest
- EPA is planning to publicly release Version 1.2 of its Index of Watershed Indicators (IWI) in early November. The IWI is an EPA-led project which solicits input from states and other agencies to characterize the conditions of the 2,111 watersheds in the continental United States, and provide information to the public via a graphical Internet Web Site. EPA has stressed that the project is a general guide to watershed conditions, designed to open the door to further dialogue and obtain more detailed information. Several data layers have been updated in the new version, as well as the inclusion of several new candidate indicators such as "atomospheric deposition of nutrients." The IWI is available on EPA’s Internet "Surf Your Watershed" Web site (http://www.epa.gov/surf) and includes maps and 2-page summary assessments for each watershed. EPA plans to continue updating assessments over time and also has plans to continue to improve the IWI with input from other EPA partners.