Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Tracking Needs Assessment. Current Status and Future Needs for States in Regions 5, 6, and 10

摘要

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program recently performed an analysis of current watershed restoration performance measures and potential hurdles to identifying future restoration goals and priorities. EPA has always recognized the value of tracking and categorizing ongoing TMDL implementation efforts. However, the results of the Region 5 analysis revealed the magnitude of the importance of documenting and tracking implementation efforts for TMDLs and other water quality restoration efforts, and the benefits that would ensue from such efforts. The level of tracking performed by the nine states interviewed varies from almost no tracking of implementation information to relatively robust dedicated tracking systems with query and reporting functions and spatial tracking capabilities. Most of the states do not have a dedicated TMDL implementation tracking system in place. However, almost all of the states interviewed see value in developing and implementing a tracking system, with potential benefits ranging from establishing a process and indicators for tracking interim implementation steps to reporting progress on restoration to multiple internal and external stakeholders.