Keeping track of TMDLs in California

One of the newest acronyms to be added to the bureaucratic alphabet soup is "TMDL" or Total Maximum Daily Load.

The TMDL process was established by the Clean Water Act, Section 303(d) to guide application of state standards to protect the designated "beneficial uses" (e.g. fishing, swimming, drinking, fish habitat, agriculture, aesthetic, etc.) of individual water bodies/watersheds.

TMDL is a process as well as an outcome, and may be a confusing term for summarizing pollutant allocations in most of our watersheds. The sum of pollutants from all sources cannot be simply defined by any measure of daily load(s) and be rational or meaningful. The preferred title for the outcome of the TMDL process is now the "Water Quality Attainment Strategy."

What are TMDLs?

A TMDL is an estimate of the maximum amount of a specific pollutant a body of water can receive and still meet water quality standards for its designated use. TMDL is established to identify reduction targets for two types of water pollution sources in rivers and streams:

1. Point source pollution such as discharges from manufacturing industries.
2. Nonpoint source pollution such as runoff from range and forestland.

While point sources of water pollution are regulated by discharge permits, nonpoint sources require Best Management Practices (BMPs). A BMP is a practice that the state has deemed the most effective way to prevent or reduce pollution levels. For example, leaving a buffer strip of undeveloped land between a paved road and a stream to filter out sediment is a BMP.

Who develops the TMDLs?

The State Water Resources Control Board and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have the authority to establish TMDLs under the Clean Water Act. However, "third parties" such as landowners or watershed groups are encouraged to take the lead in developing TMDLs for approval by EPA.

Why has this become an issue?

Recently a lawsuit was brought against the EPA stating that the agency was not enforcing the Clean Water Act. In the settlement, the EPA made a legal commitment guaranteeing that TMDLs will be established for 18 river basins by the year 2007. These TMDLs must be created by either the EPA and/or the State Regional Water Quality Control Board. Many North Coast California rivers have been listed as "water quality limited" due to sediment and/or temperature impacts to fish.

Please do not let these new terms and processes intimidate you. Further, do not let the threats of further government intervention and regulation keep you from becoming actively involved in local TMDL discussions and development. There is a limited opportunity for landowners and land managers to develop voluntary Best Management Practices to meet the water quality attainment strategy within a given watershed.

In fact, local commitments by Water Quality staff and EPA in Redwood Creek indicate that the agencies are willing to relieve landowners of regulation related to instream targets if landowners continue voluntary efforts. Local staff reiterated the importance of the UC Extension Ranch Water Quality Shortcourse as a "good faith" effort to deal with these issues.

If we focus on controllable sources of waste loads that may result in negative water quality (primarily sediment and/or temperature in N. California watersheds), we can more effectively address the issues and improve water quality.

What can you do?

Landowners are encouraged to assess their lands for water quality problems and prepare a conservation plan to implement appropriate BMPs. An example of a BMP for a ranch that borders on a waterway is providing a water source for the livestock away from the riparian area. This keeps the stream banks from being broken down and eroded into the streams. (See page 7 for other suggestions.)

We may not reach consensus on all aspects of the TMDL process, but we should all be able to assess our land management practices and improve them where necessary. And we can reach consensus on our shared desire for clean water and our positive contributions towards maintaining clean water through continued stewardship using BMPs.

Where will TMDLs be developed in California?

Garcia River (1997)

South Fork Trinity River (1998)

Redwood Creek (1998)

Noyo River (1999)

Van Duzen River (1999)

Eel River South Fork-above and below Garberville (1999)

Ten Mile River (2000)

Navarro River (2000)

Trinity River (2001)

Albion River (2001)

Gualala River (2001)

Big River (2001)

Mattole River (2002)

Eel River -North Fork (2002)

Eel River-Upper Main Fork (2004)

Klamath River (2004)

Scott River (2005)

Shasta River (2005)

Eel River-Delta (2006)

Mad River (2007)

Kim Rodrigues is Forest Advisor and Gary Markegard is Farm Advisor in Humboldt County. For more information, contact your local UC Extension office or the Forest Stewardship Helpline, 1-800-738-TREE.