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By now most eMDE readers know that Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) establish the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can assimilate and still meet water quality standards. In other words, TMDLs set quantified water quality goals. After the goal is set, the hard work of achieving and maintaining the goal begins. That is the role of TMDL implementation.
Quantified Goals Promote Accountability
“TMDL implementation represents a paradigm shift in requirements for water quality management,” said Dr. Richard Eskin, Director of MDE’s Technical and Regulatory Administration (TARSA), responsible for coordinating TMDL implementation. “Rather than addressing pollution sources individually, TMDLs address all sources. They also set quantified goals, which creates a clear framework of accountability.”
The added level of accountability created by TMDLs poses new challenges. Although the State and local governments have experience managing pollutants from point sources, such as wastewater treatment plants, they have less experience managing nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. NPS pollution consists of diffuse sources associated with rainfall runoff. Because NPS pollution is difficult to quantify, managing it continues to pose technical and resource challenges.
The §319 Nonpoint Source Program and TMDL Implementation
In 2005, TARSA assumed responsibility for managing Maryland’s federal §319 Nonpoint Source Program. This program derives its name from Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The primary objective of this program is to remove the waterbodies from the list of impaired waters (303(d) list). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has directed states to focus their §319 funding in a small number of geographic areas. In Maryland, funds are currently targeted to accomplish water quality improvements in:
- Lake Linganore, a subwatershed of the Lower Monocacy watershed in Frederick County
- Aaron Run watershed in Garrett County, which has been impacted by abandoned mine drainage, and
- The Corsica River watershed in Queen Anne’s County.
Maryland’s §319 Program currently receives about $2.6 million per year in federal funding for individual grants to local governments, soil conservation districts, and other NPS control activities, including evaluation monitoring. In the future, the program will continue to provide funding to help build local capacity to meet TMDL goals. The program will also provide data analysis and monitoring to aid in the implementation of effective best management practices (BMP). MDE anticipates that the §319 Program is likely to play a role in developing tools to enable land use planning that would account for NPS loads, thus ensuring consistency with TMDLs.
In addition, the State has also directed many of its financial assistance programs to support TMDL implementation. This is reflected in MDE’s financial assistance proposal ranking system. Click
here for more information on such funding sources.
Related Articles:
Click here for information on TMDL Implementation in Maryland.
Click here for TMDL Implementation Guidance for Local Governments.
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