Download or read book Achieving Water Quality Standards Through the Use of Total Maximum Daily Loads written by Valarie Watkins and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Clean Water Act (CWA) contains a number of complex and interrelated elements of overall water quality management. Foremost is the requirement in Section 303 that states establish ambient water quality standards for water bodies, consisting of the designated use or uses of a water body (eg: recreational, public water supply, or industrial water supply) and the water quality criteria which are necessary to protect the use or uses. Standards are then used to determine which waters must be cleaned up, how much effluent may be discharged, and what is needed for protection. Through permitting, states or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) impose wastewater discharge limits on individual industrial and municipal facilities to ensure that water quality standards are attained. However, Congress recognised in the act that, in many cases, pollution controls implemented by industry and cities would be insufficient to attain and maintain water quality standards, due to pollutant contributions from other unregulated sources. This book discusses the Clean Water Act and the pollutant total maximum daily loads, as well as the changes needed if the EPA program is to help fulfil the nation's water quality goals.

Download or read book Assessing the TMDL Approach to Water Quality Management written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-08-24 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last 30 years, water quality management in the United States has been driven by the control of point sources of pollution and the use of effluent-based water quality standards. Under this paradigm, the quality of the nation's lakes, rivers, reservoirs, groundwater, and coastal waters has generally improved as wastewater treatment plants and industrial dischargers (point sources) have responded to regulations promulgated under authority of the 1972 Clean Water Act. These regulations have required dischargers to comply with effluent-based standards for criteria pollutants, as specified in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the states and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although successful, the NPDES program has not achieved the nation's water quality goals of "fishable and swimmable" waters largely because discharges from other unregulated nonpoint sources of pollution have not been as successfully controlled. Today, pollutants such as nutrients and sediment, which are often associated with nonpoint sources and were not considered criteria pollutants in the Clean Water Act, are jeopardizing water quality, as are habitat destruction, changes in flow regimes, and introduction of exotic species. This array of challenges has shifted the focus of water quality management from effluent-based to ambient- based water quality standards. Given the most recent lists of impaired waters submitted to EPA, there are about 21,000 polluted river segments, lakes, and estuaries making up over 300,000 river and shore miles and 5 million lake acres. The number of TMDLs required for these impaired waters is greater than 40,000. Under the 1992 EPA guidance or the terms of lawsuit settlements, most states are required to meet an 8- to 13-year deadline for completion of TMDLs. Budget requirements for the program are staggering as well, with most states claiming that they do not have the personnel and financial resources necessary to assess the condition of their waters, to list waters on 303d, and to develop TMDLs. A March 2000 report of the General Accounting Office (GAO) highlighted the pervasive lack of data at the state level available to set water quality standards, to determine what waters are impaired, and to develop TMDLs. This report represents the consensus opinion of the eight-member NRC committee assembled to complete this task. The committee met three times during a three-month period and heard the testimony of over 40 interested organizations and stakeholder groups. The NRC committee feels that the data and science have progressed sufficiently over the past 35 years to support the nation's return to ambient-based water quality management. Given reasonable expectations for data availability and the inevitable limits on our conceptual understanding of complex systems, statements about the science behind water quality management must be made with acknowledgment of uncertainties. This report explains that there are creative ways to accommodate this uncertainty while moving forward in addressing the nation's water quality challenges.

Download or read book Clean Coastal Waters written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-08-17 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Environmental problems in coastal ecosystems can sometimes be attributed to excess nutrients flowing from upstream watersheds into estuarine settings. This nutrient over-enrichment can result in toxic algal blooms, shellfish poisoning, coral reef destruction, and other harmful outcomes. All U.S. coasts show signs of nutrient over-enrichment, and scientists predict worsening problems in the years ahead. Clean Coastal Waters explains technical aspects of nutrient over-enrichment and proposes both immediate local action by coastal managers and a longer-term national strategy incorporating policy design, classification of affected sites, law and regulation, coordination, and communication. Highlighting the Gulf of Mexico's "Dead Zone," the Pfiesteria outbreak in a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, and other cases, the book explains how nutrients work in the environment, why nitrogen is important, how enrichment turns into over-enrichment, and why some environments are especially susceptible. Economic as well as ecological impacts are examined. In addressing abatement strategies, the committee discusses the importance of monitoring sites, developing useful models of over-enrichment, and setting water quality goals. The book also reviews voluntary programs, mandatory controls, tax incentives, and other policy options for reducing the flow of nutrients from agricultural operations and other sources.

Download or read book Technical Support Document for Water Quality based Toxics Control written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Assessing the TMDL Approach to Water Quality Management written by Committee to Assess the Scientific Basis of the Total Maximum Daily Load Approach to Water Pollution Reduction and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-08-07 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last 30 years, water quality management in the United States has been driven by the control of point sources of pollution and the use of effluent-based water quality standards. Under this paradigm, the quality of the nation's lakes, rivers, reservoirs, groundwater, and coastal waters has generally improved as wastewater treatment plants and industrial dischargers (point sources) have responded to regulations promulgated under authority of the 1972 Clean Water Act. These regulations have required dischargers to comply with effluent-based standards for criteria pollutants, as specified in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the states and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although successful, the NPDES program has not achieved the nation's water quality goals of "fishable and swimmable" waters largely because discharges from other unregulated nonpoint sources of pollution have not been as successfully controlled. Today, pollutants such as nutrients and sediment, which are often associated with nonpoint sources and were not considered criteria pollutants in the Clean Water Act, are jeopardizing water quality, as are habitat destruction, changes in flow regimes, and introduction of exotic species. This array of challenges has shifted the focus of water quality management from effluent-based to ambient- based water quality standards. Given the most recent lists of impaired waters submitted to EPA, there are about 21,000 polluted river segments, lakes, and estuaries making up over 300,000 river and shore miles and 5 million lake acres. The number of TMDLs required for these impaired waters is greater than 40,000. Under the 1992 EPA guidance or the terms of lawsuit settlements, most states are required to meet an 8- to 13-year deadline for completion of TMDLs. Budget requirements for the program are staggering as well, with most states claiming that they do not have the personnel and financial resources necessary to assess the condition of their waters, to list waters on 303d, and to develop TMDLs. A March 2000 report of the General Accounting Office (GAO) highlighted the pervasive lack of data at the state level available to set water quality standards, to determine what waters are impaired, and to develop TMDLs. This report represents the consensus opinion of the eight-member NRC committee assembled to complete this task. The committee met three times during a three-month period and heard the testimony of over 40 interested organizations and stakeholder groups. The NRC committee feels that the data and science have progressed sufficiently over the past 35 years to support the nation's return to ambient-based water quality management. Given reasonable expectations for data availability and the inevitable limits on our conceptual understanding of complex systems, statements about the science behind water quality management must be made with acknowledgment of uncertainties. This report explains that there are creative ways to accommodate this uncertainty while moving forward in addressing the nation's water quality challenges.

Download or read book Technical Guidance Manual for Developing Total Maximum Daily Loads written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Water Quality Trading written by Cy Jones and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2005-11-03 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water-quality trading is a market-based approach that allows a facility to meet its regulatory obligations by using the pollutant reductions created by another facility capable of doing it at a much lower cost. This resource is a practical guide for wastewater treatment plants to use in evaluating the potential for water-quality trading and provides the framework for designing and implementing the trade.

Download or read book Water Quality Criteria and Standards Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Report on Assessing the Scientific Basis of the Total Maximum Daily Load Approach to Water Quality Management written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This manual contains overview information on treatment technologies, installation practices, and past performance."--Introduction.

Download or read book The Environmental Protection Agency s Proposed Regulation Regarding Total Maximum Daily Loads the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the Federal Antidegradation Policy written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Protocol for Developing Nutrient TMDLs written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Total Maximum Daily Load TMDL Based Water Quality Standards and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Evaluation of the Development and Effectiveness of Copper Total Maximum Daily Loads Tmdls to Achieve Marine Water Quality Criteria written by Joanna Florer and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elevated concentrations of certain chemicals in surface water are known to be toxic to aquatic organisms (e.g., barnacles, algae, and fish). For a number of these chemicals (e.g., tributyltin [TBT], copper) federal and state water quality standards exist to protect aquatic organisms. As a means to comply with water quality standards, regulatory agencies establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to reduce concentrations of toxic chemicals from entering waterways. A TMDL determines the maximum amount of pollutant loading a water body can sustain and still achieve water quality standards; they are developed to ensure that surface water concentrations meet applicable criteria. However, there can be uncertainty regarding TMDLs because of the lack of available data and input assumptions used in their development. TMDLs should also be established based on site-specific information, which is not always available or considered when developing TMDLs. Additionally, some studies have indicated that TMDLs, while they do reduce concentrations of toxic chemicals in surface water, are not as effective as anticipated or not feasible as a means to meet water quality criteria. Because the development and implementation of TMDLs vary depending on the pollutant, water body type, and location, this research specifically evaluates the development and effectiveness of a TMDL for copper to achieve marine water quality criteria in California. Additionally, the findings of this research will be used to develop regional water quality policy recommendations.

Download or read book EPA s Total Maximum Daily Load TMDL Program written by Claudia Copeland and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 11 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of the Proposed Total Maximum Daily Load Regulations on Agriculture and Silviculture written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Agriculture. Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Improving Water Quality written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: