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 pollutant that a waterbody can assimilate without exceeding the established water quality standard for that pollutant. Through a TMDL, pollutant loads can be allocated to point sources and nonpoint sources discharging to the waterbody. This report presents TMDLs that have been developed for chloride, sulfate, and total dissolved solids (TDS) for four reaches of Bayou Bartholomew (reaches 08040205-013, 08040205-012U, 08040205-002, and 08040205-001) and for turbidity for Cutoff Creek (reach 08040205-007), which is a tributary of Bayou Bartholomew. Bayou Bartholomew originates near Pine Bluff and flows generally southward through southeastern Arkansas and into northeastern Louisiana. The drainage area of Bayou Bartholomew at the Arkansas-Louisiana state line is almost 1,187 square miles, including 322 square miles in the Cutoff Creek watershed. The western side of the Bayou Bartholomew watershed (including Cutoff Creek) is in the Gulf Coastal ecoregion, which is mostly forested. The eastern side of the watershed (including most of the main stem of Bayou Bartholomew) is in the Delta ecoregion, which is mostly cropland and is flat. The Bayou Bartholomew watershed is in Planning Segment 2B. |