| Abstract |
The Calleguas Creek Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for chloride is being established in accordance with Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, because the State of California has determined that the water quality standards for the Calleguas Creek watershed and tributaries are exceeded due to chloride. In accordance with Section 303(d), the State of California periodically identifies .those waters within its boundaries for which the effluent limitations . are not stringent enough to implement any water quality standard applicable to such waters.. In its 1996 and 1998 303(d) lists, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) identified several segments of the Calleguas Creek Watershed as impaired due to chloride. In accordance with a consent decree (Heal the Bay, Inc. Santa Monica Baykeeper, Inc. el. al. v. Browner & Marcus, No. 98-4825, March 22, 1999), March 22, 2002 is the deadline for establishment of this TMDL. Because the State will not be able to complete adoption of the Chloride TMDL for the Calleguas Creek by the March 22, 2002 deadline, EPA is establishing this TMDL to fulfill its legal obligations. This TMDL is based largely on the technical efforts produced by the Regional Board staff. EPA anticipates that the State will complete its process and will submit that TMDL to EPA for approval in the near future. At that time, EPA will review the State-submitted TMDL to determine if it meets all TMDL requirements. If EPA approves the State.s TMDL, it will supersede this EPA TMDL. The purpose of a TMDL is to identify the total load of a pollutant which a waterbody can receive without causing exceedances of Water Quality Standards, and to allocate the total load among the sources of the pollutant in the watershed. Although this TMDL does not include an implementation plan, EPA provides general recommendations on implementation measures. |
