Planning

The planning stage involves developing and completing TMDLs, or in some cases TMDL alternatives, for the waters identified during the listing stage. A TMDL is essentially a plan, usually based on monitoring information and scientific modeling, that describes how pollutant loads coming from various types of sources must be reduced in order to meet Water Quality Standards. TMDL alternatives known as "4b Plans" are sometimes acceptable where existing, required activities are expected to lead to full recovery. Both TMDLs and 4b Plans are most often completed by states and others but must be approved by EPA. TMDL Implementation Plans are also part of the planning stage; these plans are more specific than the TMDL in terms of what non-point source and point source pollution control actions will occur in what areas to achieve the goals of the TMDL.

The development of TMDLs has increased markedly in recent years and over 45,000 TMDLs have now been completed. Over 4,000 TMDLs have been developed per year in recent years. The pace of TMDL completion is of high priority to the Agency, with numbers reported quarterly, semiannually, and annually for reports such as the  EPA Office of Water Midyear and End-of-Year Reports.

Resources of Interest:

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• Fact Sheet: Total Maximum Daily Loads (PDF) (2pp, 110K), May 2009
  This fact sheet summarizes national progress on developing and finalizing tens of thousands of TMDLs during the past two decades.
• Fact Sheet: Summary of EPA's "100 TMDLs Review" (PDF) (2pp, 827K), December 2009
  This fact sheet summarizes a 2005 national study of the characteristics of a sample of TMDLs from all ten EPA Regions representing numerous pollutants and different settings.
• Fact Sheet: 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters State, Watershed and National Geospatial Datasets (PDF) (2pp, 474K), January 2010
  This fact sheet describes the most recent publicly available GIS data on 303(d) listed impaired waters, available at watershed, state or national scale. Dates vary by state.
• Dataset: Section 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters State or Watershed-level, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data Downloads
  This Web site is a source for obtaining the most up-to-date, GIS data files of 303(d)-listed impaired waters on a state or watershed-specific basis from EPA’s Reach Address Database (RAD).
• Dataset: Section 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters National Geospatial Dataset
  This Web site is a source for obtaining a national, geospatial coverage of 303(d) listed impaired waters.
• Fact Sheet: Impaired Waters with TMDLs National Geospatial Dataset (PDF) (2pp, 333K), December 2009
  This fact sheet describes a publicly available national GIS dataset consisting of the thousands of mapped impaired waters that have had at least one TMDL approved or established.
• Dataset: Impaired Waters with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Geospatial Dataset
  This Web site is a source for obtaining a national geospatial, coverage of impaired waters with one or more TMDLs completed.
• EPA Report: Developing Effective Nonpoint Source TMDLs: An Evaluation of the TMDL Process (PDF) (57pp, 293K), January 2007
  This report explores whether various characteristics of data availability, funding resources, guidance materials, stakeholder involvement, scale of TMDLs, and implementation planning positively influence development of effective TMDLs.
• Publication: Developing Effective TMDLs: An Evaluation of the TMDL Process (PDF) (12pp, 62K), June 2007
  This report explores whether various characteristics of data availability, funding resources, guidance materials, stakeholder involvement, scale of TMDLs, and implementation planning positively influence development of effective TMDLs. Published in the Water Environment Federation's TMDL2007 conference proceedings.
• EPA Grantee Web site: Virginia Tech Center for TMDL and Watershed Studies' TMDL Knowledgebase Clearinghouse
  Virginia Tech's Center for TMDL and Watershed Studies has developed this database, funded in part by EPA grant number 83217601, which houses selected TMDL-related information. This searchable clearinghouse contains three types of resources: TMDL guidance documents, reviews, and summaries of TMDL-related technical and trade literature, and state-by-state summaries of TMDL programs across the nation.
• Publication: Category 4b - A Regulatory Alternative to TMDLs (PDF) (10pp, 57K), June 2007
  This paper describes the extent to which states have successfully employed TMDL alternatives to address impaired waters and assigned these waters to Category 4b, and includes several Washington State examples. Published in the Water Environment Federation's TMDL2007 conference proceedings.
• Publication:   Category 4b - National Status and Trends (PDF)  (24pp, 250K), August 2009
  This paper provides an overview of the 4b alternative to TMDLs and provides general statistics on types and numbers of 4b projects to date.  Published in the Water Environment Federation’s TMDL2009 conference proceedings.
• Publication:   Category 4b Demonstration for Atrazine Impaired Waters in the Little Arkansas River Subbasin, Kansas (PDF)  (15 pp., 250 K, about PDF), August 2009
  This paper describes a case study that followed the 4b process alternative to TMDLs in Kansas and provides the results of that study.  Published in the Water Environment Federation’s TMDL2009 conference proceedings.
• Publication:   Category 4b Demonstration for Petroleum Hydrocarbon Impaired Waters in the Kenai River, Alaska (PDF)  (10pp, 133K), August 2009
  This paper describes a case study that followed the 4b process alternative to TMDLs in Alaska and provides the results of that study.  Published in the Water Environment Federation’s TMDL2009 conference proceedings.
• Publication:   Category 4b Demonstration for Pathogen Impaired Tributaries to Pugent Sound in Kitsap County, Washington (PDF)  (9pp, 54K), August 2009
  This paper describes a case study that followed the 4b process alternative to TMDLs in Washington and provides the results of that study.  Published in the Water Environment Federation’s TMDL2009 conference proceedings.
• Publication:   Category 4b Demonstration for Point Source Impaired Waters and the Permit in Lieu of a Total Maximum Daily Load Process for the State of Missouri (PDF) (9pp, 38K), August 2009
  This paper describes a case study that followed the 4b process alternative to TMDLs in Missouri and provides the results of that study.  Published in the Water Environment Federation’s TMDL2009 conference proceedings.
• Fact Sheet: 2002 Impaired Waters Baseline National Geospatial Dataset (PDF) (2pp, 133K), December 2009
  This fact sheet describes a publicly available GIS dataset of the impaired waters national baseline of 2002, a major tracking and national performance reporting reference date for EPA.
• Dataset: 2002 Impaired Waters Baseline National Geospatial Dataset
  This publicly available GIS dataset contains the impaired waters national baseline of 2002, a major tracking and national performance reporting reference date for EPA.
• Fact Sheet: Watershed Boundaries for the 2002 Impaired Waters Baseline National Geospatial Dataset (PDF) (2 pp., 245 K, about PDF), December 2009
  This fact sheet describes a publicly available GIS dataset consisting of the watershed boundary delineations for the impaired waters national baseline of impaired waters through reporting year 2002, a major tracking and national performance reporting reference date for EPA.
• Dataset: Watershed boundaries for the 2002 impaired waters baseline
  This publicly available GIS dataset includes the watershed boundary delineations for the impaired waters national baseline of 2002, a major tracking and national performance reporting reference date for EPA.
• EPA Grantee Report: Third Party TMDL Development Toolkit (PDF) (30pp, 1.7MB)
  Water Environment Federation's toolkit provides basic steps in which an organization or group other than the lead water quality agency takes responsibility for developing the TMDL document and supporting analysis. The toolkit was funded in part by EPA assistance agreement number 83255601.

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