Lesson 4: Restoring Impaired Waters with TMDLs

What happens if a river fails to meet water quality standards? As explained in the previous lesson, states must identify those waters on their 303(d) list of impaired waters and prioritize them for cleanup. Once a river is listed, a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) must be established. The TMDL process sets goals for restoration and identifies which polluters need to reduce their impacts, and describes how those reductions will be accomplished. Public involvement is critical to the success of this process, so use this lesson to learn how to be an effective voice for your river in TMDL development and implementation.

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Public participation leads to better TMDL

Local citizens sometimes know more about their watersheds than state agencies, and this knowledge can be a valuable aspect of TMDL development. Such was the case for Lake Yazoo in Mississippi.

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