Abstract |
Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act requires states to identify waterbodies that are not meeting water quality standards and to develop total maximum daily pollutant loads for those waterbodies. A total maximum daily load (TMDL) is the amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can assimilate without exceeding the established water quality standards for that pollutant. Through a TMDL, pollutant loads can be allocated to point sources and nonpoint sources discharging to the waterbody. The study area for this project is located in the Strawberry River watershed in northern Arkansas. The study area is part of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Planning Segment 4G and is located within the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. Land use in the study area is about 55% pasture and 43% forest. Seven reaches in the Strawberry River watershed are included on the draft 2004 Arkansas 303(d) list as not supporting the aquatic life use due to exceedences of numeric criteria for turbidity. The applicable numeric criteria for turbidity for these reaches are 10 NTU (primary value) and 17 NTU (storm-flow value). ADEQ historical water quality data were analyzed for four locations along the impaired reaches of the Strawberry River. These data were analyzed for long term trends, seasonal patterns, relationships between concentration and stream flow, and relationships between turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS). These analyses showed no significant seasonal pattern or relationship between that concentration and stream flow, but higher turbidity levels tended to correspond with higher TSS values. |