Ohio EPA Releases Draft TMDL
for the Big Darby Creek Watershed
On May 16, 2005, Ohio EPA released a draft version of the Big Darby Creek Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report, an important document which sets goals for protection of Big Darby Creek and its tributary streams. This is necessary because Big Darby Creek and its tributaries are not meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act.
"In the simplest terms, a TMDL is a cleanup plan for a watershed that is not meeting water quality standards. A TMDL is defined as a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards and an allocation of that quantity among the sources of the pollutant. Ultimately, the goal of Ohio’s TMDL process is full attainment of Water Quality Standards (WQS)." (from Chapter 1 of "Draft for Public Comment: Big Darby Creek Watershed TMDLs.")
An overview of this draft TMDL is included in the Ohio EPA's fact sheet.
You can download the draft TMDL at Ohio EPA's WWW site:
Please see the public notice below - Join the Darby Creek Association and comment in support of a strong set of environmental goals in the TMDL. Ask Ohio EPA to set goals which will make sure that Big Darby's quality, diversity and rare species are protected forever!
The public review period ends on July 15, 2005.
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Big Darby Creek Watershed
Total Maximum Daily Load Report
Public Notice on May 16, 2005
OHIO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
PUBLIC NOTICE
BIG DARBY CREEK WATERSHED
TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD REPORT
Public notice is hereby given that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) Division of Surface Water (DSW) is providing for public review and comment the Big Darby Creek Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load Report (TMDL) Document. Ohio EPA developed the Document in fulfillment of Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act which requires the identification of impaired waterbodies for which technology based effluent limitations are not stringent enough to achieve applicable water quality standards and to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads for such waters. The Document addresses impairments in Big Darby Creek watershed which appear on the Ohio 2004 303(d) list (assessment units 05060001 190, 200, 210, and 220). The impaired waters are located in the Counties of Logan, Champaign, Union, Clark, Madison, Franklin, and Pickaway.
All interested persons wishing to submit comments for Ohio EPA’s consideration
may do so in writing to Ohio EPA, Central District Office, 3232 Alum Creek
Drive, Columbus, OH, 43207, Attn: Mike Gallaway, or by email to
mike.gallaway@epa.state.oh.us by the close of business July 15, 2005. Comments
received after this date may be considered as time and circumstances
permit. After consideration of comments, Ohio EPA will submit the Document to
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for approval. To
obtain a copy of the Document or other information, or to arrange to inspect
Agency files or records pertaining to the Document, or to request notice of when
Ohio EPA submits the Document to USEPA, please contact Mike Gallaway at the
address above or by calling (614) 728-3843. The Document will be posted (on or
before May 16, 2005) to the Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water Web site
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/index.html.
(Click here to open a pdf file of the public notice.)