Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog

RECORD NUMBER: 75 OF 82

Main Title Total Maximum Daily Loads of Nitrogen and Phosphorus for the Northeast River in Cecil County, Maryland.
CORP Author Maryland Dept. of the Environment, Baltimore.; Environmental Protection Agency, Philadelphia, PA. Region III.
Year Published 2004
Stock Number PB2013-107025
Additional Subjects Water quality ; Nutrients ; Rivers ; Maryland ; Algae ; Aquatic ecosystems ; Chlorophyll ; Dissolved oxygen ; Eutrophication ; Nitrogen ; Phosphorous ; Regulations ; Safety ; Seasonal variations ; Sediments ; Water pollution control ; Total maximum daily loads(TMDLs) ; Cecil County(Maryland)
Holdings
Library Call Number Additional Info Location Last
Modified
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Status
NTIS  PB2013-107025 Some EPA libraries have a fiche copy filed under the call number shown. 07/26/2022
Collation 81p
Abstract
Section 303(d)(1)(C) of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) implementing regulations direct each State to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for each impaired water quality limited segment (WQLS) on the Section 303(d) list, taking into account seasonal variations and a protective margin of safety (MOS) to account for uncertainty. A TMDL reflects the total pollutant loading of the impairing substance a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. TMDLs are established to achieve and maintain water quality standards. A water quality standard is the combination of a designated use for a particular body of water and the water quality criteria designed to protect that use. Designated uses include activities such as swimming, drinking water supply, and shellfish propagation and harvest. Water quality criteria consist of narrative statements and numeric values designed to protect the designated uses. Criteria may differ among waters with different designated uses. The Northeast River (basin number 02-13-06-08) was first identified on the 1996 303(d) list submitted to EPA by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) as being impaired by nutrients due to signs of eutrophication, expressed as high chlorophyll a levels, suspended sediments, lead, and zinc, with an additional listing of biological impacts added for the non-tidal portion in 2002. Eutrophication is the over-enrichment of aquatic systems by excessive inputs of nutrients (nitrogen and/or phosphorus). The nutrients act as a fertilizer leading to excessive aquatic plant growth, which eventually die and decompose, leading to bacterial consumption of dissolved oxygen (DO). For these reasons, this document proposes to establish TMDLs of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus in the Northeast River. The suspended sediment, lead, zinc, and biological impact impairments will be addressed at a future date.