The Upper Fox and Wolf River Basins Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) draft report is available for public comment.
The U.S. EPA describes a TMDL as “the calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed to enter a waterbody so that the waterbody will meet and continue to meet water quality standards for that particular pollutant. A TMDL determines a pollutant reduction target and allocates load reductions necessary to the source(s) of the pollutant.”
The Upper Fox and Wolf River (UFW) TMDL was developed for Total Phosphorus (P) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The study identifies how much P and TSS waterbodies (rivers, lakes and streams) in the Basins can handle before being impaired by the pollutant. Reduction goals for these pollutants are identified by this study so that the water body can meet water quality goals.
Once comments from the public comment period are taken into consideration WDNR will take the TMDL report to EPA for approval. Upon approval from EPA, reductions of P and TSS will be incorporated into point source permits (e.g MS4 Stormwater, Municipal Wastewater, Industrial Wastewater, CAFO). Reductions of P and TSS from nonpoint (residential, agricultural, CAFO off-site landspreading, etc.) and natural sources will also be necessary as identified in the TMDL in order to meet water quality goals.
WDNR held an information meeting regarding the draft report on July 11 in Oshkosh. A recording of this webinar will be available on the WDNR website soon – https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/tmdls/foxwolf/index.html.
Until then, WDNR has made the draft report and appendix available.
Per WDNR website: Comment period is open through 4:30 p.m. on August 5, 2018.
Submit comments via email to Keith Marquardt. Submit comments by mail to:
Keith A. Marquardt
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
625 E County Road Y, Suite 700
Oshkosh WI 54901
Article written by Jessica Schultz, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance – jessica@fwwa.org
