FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 17, 2014) – The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) and Red River Watershed Association (RRWA) will conduct a public meeting Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. CST at the William O. Beach Civic Hall, 350 Pageant Lane, in Clarksville, Tenn., to discuss the development of a bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) as well as the overall health of the watershed. A TMDL is a calculated amount of pollutants a particular water body may contain and remain unimpaired for its designated use. The Clean Water Act requires each state to periodically identify specific waters where designated uses are not being met and water quality impairments exist. Monitoring of streams in the Red River Watershed completed in 2010 by DOW revealed bacteria impairments resulting in the failure of 13 stream segments to meet standards for the recreation designed use. The state is also required to prioritize the list of impaired waters, calculate a TMDL of pollutants for those waters and devise plans to improve the water quality. The numeric or narrative limits on pollutants are incorporated in Kentucky’s water quality standards, which are regulations based on federal or state law. The Red River watershed is located in the Kentucky counties of Christian, Logan, Simpson, Todd and a small portion of Trigg and in the Tennessee counties of Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart and Sumner. Of the 1,454 square miles that constitute the watershed, 687 are in Kentucky and 767 are in Tennessee. This public meeting will cover topics such as the stream monitoring process, writing of the TMDL document and how the TMDL plays a role in bringing about improvements to water quality and the health of the watershed. Refreshments will be provided courtesy of the RRWA. For more information about this meeting, please contact [email protected] or Scarlett Stapleton at 502-564-3410. For more information about the DOW TMDL program, visit the website at http://water.ky.gov/waterquality/Pages/TMDLProgram.aspx or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KentuckyTMDLProgram.
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