NOTICES
Availability of Draft Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters
[30 Pa.B. 581] The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is making available for public comment a draft list for the Year 2000 of waterbodies in the Commonwealth with impaired water quality. The list is required by section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act.
The Department has an ongoing program to assess the water quality of waters in the Commonwealth. Streams and other bodies of water that do not meet water quality standards are identified as impaired along with the reason for impairment--point sources, such as industrial or wastewater discharges or nonpoint sources, such as abandoned mine drainage or agricultural runoff.
Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act and 40 CFR Part 130 require states to determine waters which would still be impaired, even after the appropriate technology has been applied to point sources and required best management practices are in place for nonpoint sources. Waterbodies that do not meet water quality standards after this evaluation are required to be put on the section 303(d) list of impaired waters.
For each waterbody on the section 303(d) list, the state or the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must develop total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocations. If a TMDL has already been approved for a waterbody, that waterbody is not listed.
A TMDL is a calculation of the assimilative capacity of a waterbody to handle point and nonpoint pollutant loads without violating water quality standards. TMDLs also describe the conditions necessary to improve water quality. TMDLs are used to set limits in NPDES water quality permits and identify where best management practices for nonpoint sources are necessary to improve and protect water quality.
Waterbody assessments and the listing on the section 303(d) list is an ongoing process. The Department will continue to verify the quality of data on waterbodies on the list and, as needed, will publish supplements to the list for public review and comment.
The Department will consider all public comments regarding the validity of the data and the appropriateness of placing waterbodies on the draft list. The final list will be submitted to EPA for approval.
The draft section 303(d) list for the Year 2000 was developed using information from stream and lake surveys and other sources, including the Department's Unassessed Waters Program, the Water Quality Assessment Process, the Nonpoint Source Program, and existing and readily available data submitted by external groups and agencies.
The draft section 303(d) list is available on the Department Web Site at www.dep.state.pa.us by selecting Subjects/Water Quality Assessment and Standards. Copies of the draft 303(d) list may be obtained from Mary Houghton, Division of Water Quality Assessment and Standards, Bureau of Watershed Conservation, P. O. Box 8555, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8555, (717) 787-9637 or by E-mail to houghton.mary@dep.state.pa.us.
Persons wishing to comment on the draft list may do so in writing to the Bureau of Watershed Conservation or by E-mail to the noted address no later than March 14, 2000. Comments received by facsimile will not be accepted.
Persons in need of accommodations as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 should contact Mary Houghton directly at (717) 787-9637 or through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at (800) 654-5984 (TTD) to discuss how the Department may accommodate their needs.
JAMES M. SEIF,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 00-177. Filed for public inspection January 28, 2000, 9:00 a.m.]
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