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Total Maximum Daily Load
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a value of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive while still meeting water quality standards; alternatively TMDL is an allocation of that pollutant deemed acceptable to the subject receiving waters.
It is used extensively by the U.S. EPA in implementing the Clean Water Act by establishing maximum pollution limits for industrial waste dischargers. The EPA began utilizing TMDL widely after successful calibration and application of the DSSAM model validated its utility.
Some alternative methodologies of enforcing water pollution limits may have significant drawbacks. For example, China utilizes a system of acceptable pollutant concentration in a waste stream; as a result, dischargers there commonly dilute the waste stream until it meets the concentration standard.
- Tetra Tech Water Resources and TMDL Center
- The Center for TMDL and Watershed Studies at Virginia Tech
- EPA's WATERS Expert Query Tool (data on TMDLs)
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