Unraveling Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs): The Math and the Path to Restoring a Waterbody

How much is too much? A Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, is both the calculation and the plan to meet water quality standards. A TMDL defines the maximum amount of a specific pollutant allowed to be in a waterbody for it to meet designated water quality standards. While a specific equation, a TMDL is also what we call the plan that outlines how to reduce pollutant loads. TMDLs are typically developed by states and approved by the EPA, and represent a watershed-level strategy to meet the goals of the Clean Water Act.

Podcast guests share their experiences developing and implementing TMDLs in two regions of the country, as well as the role of assessment and monitoring, innovative tools, and collaboration.  

About our guests:

Traci Iott is the supervising environmental analyst with the Water Quality Group at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), where she oversees the implementation of the Water Quality Standards and 303(d) programs. Iott also serves as the co-chair of the Watersheds Committee with the Association of Clean Water Administrators.

Ron Steg is the TMDL and assessment program manager for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. He has over 35 years of experience working with water quality issues throughout the country and has spent the last 22 years focusing on implementing the various aspects of the Clean Water Act 303(d) program in the Rocky Mountain West.

Learn more about TMDL’s at https://www.epa.gov/tmdl/overview-total-maximum-daily-loads-tmdls

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