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Upper Oyster Creek
Site of a TMDL
Project
for Dissolved Oxygen
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What the TMDL Program
Does
The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program works to improve
water quality in impaired or threatened water bodies in Texas.
A TMDL is like a budget for pollution. It defines an
environmental target by determining the extent to which a certain
pollutant must be reduced in order to attain and maintain a use of
surface water that is limited because of a pollutant or adverse
condition. Based on the environmental target in the TMDL, the state
develops an implementation plan to mitigate sources of pollution
within the watershed and restore full use of the water body.
An implementation plan (IP) usually puts the TMDL into action by
outlining the steps necessary to reduce pollutant loads through
regulatory and voluntary activities. In some instances, TMDLs are
implemented through watershed protection plans (WPPs).
The TMDL program is authorized by and created to fulfill the
requirements of Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act and
its implementing regulations.
For an overview of the TCEQ's approach to managing the quality
of surface waters in Texas, see
Preserving and Improving Water Quality.
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How TMDLs and
Implementation Plans Are Developed
TMDLs are developed by TCEQ personnel, by cooperating state
agencies, or by independent contractors working for the TCEQ.
Ultimately, the TCEQ is responsible for the development and
adoption of all TMDLs in Texas.
The development of TMDLs is a scientifically rigorous process of
intensive data collection and analysis. After adoption by the TCEQ,
TMDLs are submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for
review and approval.
For an overview of the TMDL Program and its role in managing the
quality of Texas waterways, read
Clean Water for Texas: Working Together for Water
Quality. This booklet also provides information about how
to get involved in protecting and improving Texas streams, lakes,
and bays.
What Happens When TMDLs Are Established?
TMDLs and their implementation plans describe the actions that
local, regional, and state organizations must take to reduce
pollutants to levels established in TMDLs. For example, the TCEQ
might impose more stringent wastewater permit limits. This may in
turn require wastewater-treatment plants to implement additional or
new treatment technology.
Cities may be required to control and treat runoff from their
streets. Farmers and ranchers may be asked to use new practices
that prevent fertilizers, manure, and pesticides from reaching
lakes and rivers.
How Are TMDLs Funded?
The Texas
Legislature appropriates funds to the TCEQ and the Texas State Soil and Water
Conservation Board to support the development and
implementation of TMDLs. Both agencies also use federal money to
support the program. Other funding approaches include leveraging
existing grants or seeking in-kind services or expertise from
stakeholders, government agencies, or academic institutions.
Funding for implementation is frequently from local governments or
privately-owned facilities that discharge wastewater.
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Status Report
Status Report: Implementing TMDLs in Texas, October 2006 (PDF.
Help with PDF)
Highlights of the TMDL
Program’s activities to restore impaired surface waters in
Texas, including environmental results, program management, and
summaries of restoration projects being implemented. The report
covers the program’s progress through August 2005.
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Surface Water
Quality: How It Is Measured
For an overview of the TCEQ's approach to defining and managing
the quality of surface waters in Texas, see
Preserving and Improving Water Quality.
Standards Define Water Quality
To measure water quality, we must first define it. The
Texas Surface Water Quality Standards are rules designed
to:
- designate the uses, or purposes, for which a water body should
be suitable;
- establish numerical and narrative goals for water quality
throughout the state; and
- provide a basis on which TCEQ regulatory programs can establish
reasonable methods to implement and attain the state’s goals
for water quality.
All standards are protective; that is, they signal a possibility
that water quality may be inadequate to attain its designated
uses.
The Texas Water Quality Inventory and 303(d)
List
The
Texas Water Quality Inventory and 303(d) List is an overview of
the status of surface waters of the state, including concerns for
public health, fitness for aquatic species and other wildlife, and
specific pollutants and their possible sources. The 303(d) List, a
subset of the Inventory, identifies waters that do not attain one
or more standards for their use. Water bodies identified in
Category 5a of the 303(d) List require TMDLs. Texas assesses more
than 700 water bodies.
Read
Texas Surface Water Quality: What Is It, and How Is It
Measured? (PDF) for a brief overview of water quality standards
and the means by which surface water quality is evaluated.
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Preserving and Improving Water Quality: Programs of the
TCEQ
The publication
Preserving and Improving Water Quality provides an overview of
the way the TCEQ evaluates the quality of surface waters in Texas,
and the programs and practices the TCEQ employs to protect and
restore surface water quality. Order
printed copies from our Publications section.
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For More Information
For more information about the TMDL Program, contact Louanne
Jones at 512/239-2310, or send us an e-mail at tmdl@tceq.state.tx.us.
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