Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Regulatory Process for Rivers Detailed | |
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Total Maximum Daily Load, (TMDL) refers to the amount of sediment discharged on a daily basis into a body of water, usually a river, and an impaired river at that. It is a term arising out of the Clean Water Act's designation of "Impaired Rivers" (All of ours on the North Coast are impaired), and that in response to this "Impaired" designation a process is set in motion to restore stream flows and which determines, among other things, a "Sediment Budget". That is known as the TMDL process. An "Implementation Plan" is drawn up including the sediment budget to which the various stakeholders (timber companies, vineyards, cattle ranchers, land owners of every description) have agreed, and upon all that rests the total allowable daily loads, or discharges. It is important because it is one of the only ways to achieve any restoration of the streams |
and rivers and by extension positively impact salmon populations. (When you read about the Clean Water Act being under attack by the present administration, please understand that it is this very local issue that is being imperiled.) After completion the "Implementation Plan" becomes part of the "Basin Plan" for that particular region. That is where the teeth come in, enforcement. Any future work on the particular water way requiring a permit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board must conform to the Basin Plan, and the Implementation Plan requirements. If no permit is required, (for example as is the case here in Mendocino County where there is no Grading Ordinance, thus no review/ permit required for pushing dirt around), there is no TMDL trigger. |