Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
The goal of the federal Clean Water Act is to ensure that all the lakes, rivers, and streams in the nation are “fishable and swimable.” The states are charged with implementing the Clean Water Act and meeting this goal. To do that, each state sets water quality standards that determine how clean the streams must be to maintain aquatic life and protect public health.
Pennsylvania must assess each lake, river and stream to determine whether or not it meets the water quality standards. If a stream does not meet the standards, it is considered “impaired” and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must identify what is causing the pollution.
Once a stream is officially identified as being impaired, or too polluted to meet water quality standards, DEP develops a pollution limit for the stream called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) which is the amount of pollution a stream can absorb and still meet water quality standards. Then the total pollution limit is divided among the wastewater dischargers and the other sources of pollution like polluted runoff from mines, farm fields or city streets. DEP then puts pollution limits into the permits of wastewater dischargers and works with farmers and municipalities to adopt practices that reduce polluted runoff.
Once fully implemented, TMDLs are supposed to restore polluted lakes, rivers and streams to a level where they can meet water quality standards.
PennFuture reviews selected TMDLs to determine whether or not they will achieve the goal of restoring polluted streams. We also monitor the implementation of TMDLs to ensure those that discharge into a stream, and landowners, obey the law. We can provide assistance to individuals or organizations interested in getting involved in the TMDL process. Contact our law staff for assistance.
|