September 17, 2001 — A new source of information and communication, TMDLs Net (http://www.tmdls.net/) was set up in order to inform state and local authorities and local stakeholders. Its goal is to promote watershed-based approaches to the design and implementation of TMDLs and the solution of other water quality issues.
The site's sponsors, America's Clean Water Foundation and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators, hope to foster communication and problem-solving at the local level and make sure that information, tools, and techniques are available to all participants. The site is supported in part by grants and technical assistance from U.S. EPA.
U.S. EPA has also released a draft report, a comprehensive assessment of state and regulated community costs related to developing and implementing TMDLs. The report was drafted at the request of Congress; EPA is taking public comment for 120 days on the draft report. More information at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/draftdocs.html.
WERF is engaged in project 00-WSM-2: Navigating the TMDL Process: Listing and Delisting. This project is developing a process for listing and delisting water bodies based on sound scientific and technical principles, including the review of a range of state programs and approaches recommended by various stakeholders.
The final report for this project, which should be of considerable value to regulators and other watershed stakeholders, will be in prepublication this fall; for more information, contact Dean Carpenter at (703) 684-2470, ext. 7152 or by email at [email protected].
