Total Maximum Daily Load Program
Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), requires
States to identify waters that do not meet water
quality standards after applying effluent limits
for point sources other than POTWs that are based
on the best practicable control technology currently
available and effluent limits for POTWs based on
secondary treatment. States are then required to
prioritize waters/watersheds for total maximum
daily loads (TMDL) development. States are to compile
this information in a list and submit the list
to U.S. EPA for review and approval. This list is
known as the 303(d) list of impaired waters (303(d) list).
The State Water Resources Control Board (the State Water Board) and Regional Water Quality Control Boards have ongoing efforts to monitor and assess water quality, to prepare the Section 303(d) list, and to develop TMDLs.
Ambient
Monitoring
The State Water Board is developing a new program
to monitor the quality of the State's waters. The
Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) will
assess impacts on beneficial uses, the locations of
polluted sites, the areal extent of pollution, and
trends in water quality.
Section
303(d) List
The State's most recent 303(d)
list was approved in 1998. California's current Section
303(d) list contains 509 water bodies, many for multiple
pollutants.
Total
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
TMDLs are documents that describe
a specific water quality attainment strategy for a
water body and related impairment identified on the
303(d) list. TMDLs may include more than one water
body and more than one pollutant. The TMDL defines
specific measurable features that describe attainment
of the relevent water quality standards. TMDLs include
a description of the total allowable level of the
pollutant(s) in question and allocation of allowable
loads to individual sources or groups of sources of
the pollutant(s) of concern.
AB
982 (Ducheny)
AB 982 created a new program to
reassess or confirm the approaches the State of California
has taken to implement Section 303(d). This bill has
provided the with an opportunity to carefully
review the monitoring approaches, data needed to list
sites, and how the State approaches TMDLs. The
State Water Board has established a 24-member Public Advisory Group
to assist in the evaluation of the State's monitoring
and TMDL efforts.