In 1996, as part of the requirements for the Clean Water Act, Maryland (MD) listed a total of 98 out of 138 potentially sediment impaired watersheds on the 303(d) list. The scale of these listings was based on Maryland 8-digit watersheds, which are on average approximately 75 square miles in area. The original 1996 sediment listings were determined based on watersheds expected or known to have relatively high sediment yield as a function of increased agriculture and/or development. In 2002, these sediment listings were then classified as either non-tidal, tidal or impoundments. The current 2004 State 303(d) list identifies a total of 29 non-tidal segments, 65 tidal segments, and 4 impoundments as impaired by sediment. This report proposes a methodology to address the non-tidal impairments in areas other than the coastal plain. There are currently no specific numeric thresholds available in Maryland that correspond to the impact of sediment to the aquatic health of non-tidal stream systems. This report establishes a numeric sediment loading threshold that accounts for a sediment impact that is broadly defined to include erosional impacts, depositional impacts and water clarity, per the 2004 303(d) report. The numeric threshold will be based on the long-term average annual sediment load. Validation of the threshold will statistically identify a relationship between the sediment loading threshold and correlations with observed instream biological and physical habitat conditions.