Helping Put Conservation on the LandScape

Hawk Creek Watershed Project currently has three TMDLs under the MPCA/EPA impaired waters list.  They are Hawk Creek for fecal coliform and turbidity, Beaver Creek for fecal coliform and turbidity and Long Lake for excessive nutrients.

A water body is “impaired” or polluted if it fails to meet one or more water quality standards.  Standards exist for sediment (turbidity), bacteria (fecal coliform), nutrients (phosphorus) and mercury.  Standards also identify the uses for each water body, for example, drinking water supply, contact recreation (swimming), and aquatic life support (fishing), and the scientific criteria to support that use. The MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) is required to identify and restore impaired waters through the TMDL process.

A TMDL results in development of a pollution reduction and implementation plan.  The pollution reduction plan identifies all of the sources of the pollutant in the watershed and allocates needed reductions among them, if needed.  The plan includes uncertainties in the calculations, seasonal variability and the potential for future expansions in discharges.

The Clean Water Act (CWA), Section 303, establishes the water quality standards and TMDL programs.  Section 303(d) of the CWA requires states to publish, every two years, an updated list of streams and lakes that are not meeting their designated uses because of excess pollutants.  These water bodies are considered impaired for their uses.  The list, known as the 303(d) list, is based on violations of water quality standards and is organized by river basin.  States must establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop TMDLs for listed waters.  Minnesota’s 303(d) list can be found on the MPCA Web site at: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-303dlist.html.  The Guidance Manual for Assessing the Quality of Minnesota's Surface Waters for Determination of Impairment: 305(b) Report and 303(d) List explains MPCA's process for assessing water bodies for the 305(b) report and the 303(d) impaired waters list.  The guidance manual is also on the MPCA web site at: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-publications.html.

  Public input will be sought throughout this process, through a series of public meetings, and public notice comment periods.

Click here to go to the MPCA TMDL webpage...

Look for Hawk Creek/Beaver Creek TMDL and

Long Lake TMDL for more information

~Most information on TMDLs found on MPCA website