Urban Stream NPS TMDLs in Maine Demonstration Project
Urban Stream Project
The Urban Stream project was a contract with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection with the primary objective to provide all of the technical information required to prepare Non-Point Source Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for a set of four urban streams in Maine that are impaired by comparable urban impacts.
Under this agreement PETE provided the technical labor capability working in conjunction with the Maine DEP Staff in this “pilot” demonstration TMDL project that DEP was awarded by U.S. EPA Region 1. The project involves analysis of existing stream data, the identification of data gaps for four streams, preparation of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), field collection of new data, preparation of an interim data report, application of the Stressor Identification (SI) protocol, and preparation of a stream-specific list of Best Management Practices.
The project requires PETE to combine an innovative approach to TMDL development (using a biological end-point), with the application of the EPA peer-reviewed guidance on stressor identification. The Stressor Identification protocol will be used to categorize and characterize the different classes of stressors causing impairment, and to develop a ranked list of the most important stressors, in qualitative terms. PETE developed, from the list of identified causes, a stream-specific list of remedial actions and Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will contribute to recovery of the observed biological impairment and will be used to develop TMDLs for the four streams.
All work on this project has been completed successfully and is now being reviewed by ME DEP Staff and U.S. EPA Region 1 to determine if this will be granted as a viable protocol for ME DEP to use on determining TMDLs for their remaining urban streams in place of current EPA protocol.
With the success of this project ME DEP has amended the contract for another six months to allow for further review of Maine DEP TMDL list and assist in developing their work plan for achieving submission of TMDLs to EPA Region 1.