Presentation Abstract
The focus of this presentation is to outline the development of Washington State’s first bioassessment TMDL. Under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and supporting regulations (40 CFR 130.7), states are charged with developing a list of impaired and threatened waters requiring a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Impaired waters are those not meeting one or more of the applicable Water Quality Standards, including designated uses, narrative criteria and numeric criteria. If biological assessment indicates a waterbody is impaired, the waterbody is included on the state’s section 303(d) list and prioritized for TMDL development. The Soos Creek watershed has Category 5 listings for temperature and dissolved oxygen and the upcoming draft Water Quality Assessment will have three Category 5 listings for bioassessment. The goal of this TMDL is to protect the aquatic life uses through implementation of allocations that address temperature, dissolved oxygen and aquatic health impairments in the basin. The aquatic life uses being protected include the five species of Pacific salmon (Chinook, coho, chum, pink and sockeye), steelhead and cutthroat trout, and a diverse benthic macroinvertebrate community consisting of long-lived and pollutant intolerant species. The Clean Water Act calls for an integrated strategy to restore the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of surface waters. Bioassessment will enhance the DO and temperature TMDLs and provide an important tool to measure improvements in the aquatic life use. This innovative aquatic health TMDL consists of selecting a target B-IBI score to fully support beneficial uses and develop hydrologic allocations and achievable implementation measures within the Soos Creek watershed. The purpose of this presentation is to talk about the process, challenges, approaches and solutions used to develop the first bioassessment TMDL in Washington State.
Session Title
Session S-05C: Using Stream Bugs to Manage and Restore Watersheds
Conference Track
Freshwater
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 12:00 PM
Location
Room 606
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Water quality biological assessment--Washington (State)--Big Soos Creek; Water--Pollution--Total maximum daily load--Washington (State)--Big Soos Creek; Runoff--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Big Soos Creek; Water temperature--Washington (State)--Big Soos Creek; Water--Dissolved oxygen--Washington (State)--Big Soos Creek
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Big Soos Creek (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Rewards, Challenges, Approaches and Solutions for Developing the Soos Creek Bioassessment TMDL
Room 606
The focus of this presentation is to outline the development of Washington State’s first bioassessment TMDL. Under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and supporting regulations (40 CFR 130.7), states are charged with developing a list of impaired and threatened waters requiring a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Impaired waters are those not meeting one or more of the applicable Water Quality Standards, including designated uses, narrative criteria and numeric criteria. If biological assessment indicates a waterbody is impaired, the waterbody is included on the state’s section 303(d) list and prioritized for TMDL development. The Soos Creek watershed has Category 5 listings for temperature and dissolved oxygen and the upcoming draft Water Quality Assessment will have three Category 5 listings for bioassessment. The goal of this TMDL is to protect the aquatic life uses through implementation of allocations that address temperature, dissolved oxygen and aquatic health impairments in the basin. The aquatic life uses being protected include the five species of Pacific salmon (Chinook, coho, chum, pink and sockeye), steelhead and cutthroat trout, and a diverse benthic macroinvertebrate community consisting of long-lived and pollutant intolerant species. The Clean Water Act calls for an integrated strategy to restore the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of surface waters. Bioassessment will enhance the DO and temperature TMDLs and provide an important tool to measure improvements in the aquatic life use. This innovative aquatic health TMDL consists of selecting a target B-IBI score to fully support beneficial uses and develop hydrologic allocations and achievable implementation measures within the Soos Creek watershed. The purpose of this presentation is to talk about the process, challenges, approaches and solutions used to develop the first bioassessment TMDL in Washington State.
