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In 1972, the Clean Water Act set forth the goal of making
all waters clean enough for fishing and swimming. Despite significant gains, many rivers,
lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters remain polluted. Under the Clean Water Act, states are
required to address these pollution problems through watershed cleanup plans.
The process starts with each state creating a list of waters
that do not meet basic standards.
© GRN
This
list, known as the impaired waters list, is
updated every two years and submitted to Congress. Once a waterbody is on the list, the next
step is to prepare a pollution reduction plan, also known as a Total Maximum Daily Load. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) sets a
ceiling for the maximum level of pollution that a waterbody can tolerate and
still meet standards. This maximum
amount is then divided among all the different sources of pollution in a
watershed.
Watershed cleanup plans have the potential to effectively
return waters to their original health by forcing sources of pollution to make
reductions. However, in practice the
TMDL program often lacks public participation, fails to call for meaningful
reductions from sources, and lacks any implementation. The Gulf Restoration Network is working to
pressure states to write and implement meaningful cleanup plans.
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