Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

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Total mean daily loads (TMDLs) are a regulatory tool created by the US EPA to meet water quality goals for impaired water bodies under Section 303(d)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Water quality goals include "beneficial uses" (BUs) which include water contact recreation, wildlife habitat, and others.

Total mean daily loads also refer to the specific Load and Waste Load Allocations (LAs and WLAs respectively) for each pollutant load, plus a margin of safety. These load allocations are the calculated amount of a given pollutant that a given waterbody can receive while still preserving and improving water quality [1].


General overview of TMDL development process for the LSRW

Overview of TMDL development process from US EPA[2].

TMDL development involves many stages from problem identification and problem statement development, through development of numeric standards to restore water quality goals, source assessments and linkage analysis, to load allocations, monitoring/evaluation, and finally implementation.

See also

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