Total Maximum Daily Loads Program
New! The Department announces the availability of a revised
dissolved oxygen and nutrient
TMDL report for the Stevenson Creek Tidal Segment in the Springs
Coast Basin for stakeholder review. The public is invited to attend a
workshop on this TMDL that will be held at the Tampa Bay Regional
Planning Council Office, 4000 Gateway Center Blvd., Suite 100, Pinellas
Park, Florida, 33782 on December 9, 2011 at 9:30 am. Written comments
will be accepted through December 23, 2011 and should be directed to:
Jan.Mandrup-Poulsen@dep.state.fl.us.
 What is a TMDL?
A scientific
determination of the maximum amount of a given pollutant that a surface
water can absorb and still meet the water quality standards that protect
human health and aquatic life. Water bodies that do not meet water
quality standards are identified as "impaired" for the particular
pollutants of concern--nutrients, bacteria, mercury, etc.--and TMDLs must be developed, adopted and
implemented for those pollutants to reduce pollutants and clean up the
water body.
The threshold limits on pollutants in surface waters--Florida's
surface water quality standards on which TMDLs are based--are set forth
primarily in rule
62-302, Florida Administrative Code, and the associated table of
water quality criteria.
Locations of the Department's Adopted TMDLs
 The
DEP announces the availability of a
PDF that displays the location of the Department’s Adopted TMDLs (i.e.
Final, State Rule 62-304, Florida Administrative Code F.A.C.) within the State
of Florida. Please help us improve our service by providing feedback on what you
think of our Adopted TMDL PDF, whether the PDF is useful, and how could we make
it better. Please contact Kristina Bridger (Kristina.Bridger@dep.state.fl.us),
(850) 245-8023, or Janis Paulsen (Janis.Paulsen@dep.state.fl.us),
(850) 245-8543.
What are the basic steps in the TMDL program? How
does it work?
- Assess the quality of surface
waters--are they meeting water quality standards?
- Determine which waters are
impaired--that is, which ones are not meeting water
quality standards for a particular pollutant or
pollutants.
- Establish and adopt, by rule,
a TMDL for each impaired water for the pollutants of
concern--the ones causing the water quality problems.
- Develop, with extensive local
stakeholder input, a Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)
that....
- Implement the strategies and
actions in the BMAP.
- Measure the effectiveness of
the BMAP, both continuously at the local level and
through a formal re-evaluation every five years.
- Adapt--change the plan and
change the actions if things aren't working.
- Reassess the quality of
surface waters continuously.
The Divisions are working on a
more comprehensive approach to protecting Florida water
quality involving basin-wide assessments and the
application of a full range of regulatory and
non-regulatory strategies to reduce pollution.
The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is the heart of
this comprehensive approach.
For
more information, send e-mail to
Jan
Mandrup-Poulsen (Jan.Mandrup-Poulsen@dep.state.fl.us)
Total
Maximum Daily Load Program
2600 Blair Stone Road - Mail Station 3555
Tallahassee, FL, 32399-2400
Phone: (850) 245-8449 |
2012 State of Florida