Abstract |
Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act (the Act) directs States to identify and list waters, known as water quality limited segments (WQLSs), in which current required controls of a specified substance are inadequate to achieve water quality standards. For each WQLS, the State is to establish a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of the specified substance that the waterbody can receive without violating water quality standards. Wicomico Creek was identified on the States 1996 list of WQLSs as impaired by nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). This report proposes the establishment of two TMDLs for Wicomico Creek: one for nitrogen and one for phosphorus. Once the TMDLs are approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) they will be incorporated into the States Continuing Planning Process, pursuant to Section 303(e) of the Act. In the future, the established TMDLs will support control measures needed to restore water quality in Wicomico Creek. This document proposes to establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for nitrogen and phosphorus in Wicomico Creek. Wicomico Creek ultimately drains to the Chesapeake Bay through Wicomico River and is a part of the Lower Eastern Shore Tributary Strategy Basin. The creek is impaired by the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, which cause excessive algal blooms and exceedance of the dissolved oxygen criterion. |