Thames River Watershed and TMDLs
The Thames River
Basin is a 1,478-square mile drainage area located primarily in eastern
Connecticut, with upstream drainage areas in south-central Massachusetts and
western Rhode Island. (Thames Science Plan, USGS) Neatly outlined in the
USGS
Thames Science Plan, the provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) require
each state to monitor, assess, and report on the quality of its waters. In
Connecticut, the
Department of Environmental Protection is required to:
A
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) specifies the maximum amount of a
pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality
standards, and allocates pollutant loadings among point and nonpoint
pollutant sources. By law, EPA must approve or disapprove lists and
TMDLs established by states, territories, and authorized tribes. The US
EPA issued regulations in 1985 and 1992 that implement the section
303(d) of the Clean Water Act - the
TMDL provisions.
The
Clean Water Act (CWA) is the cornerstone of surface water quality
protection in the U.S. It is also one of the nation’s most successful
environmental laws. The statute has prevented billions of pounds of
pollution from spilling into our nations waterways. In 1972, only 36% of
the country’s lakes and rivers were safe for swimming. After thirty years,
more than 66% of waters are safe enough for fishing and swimming. However,
water pollution remains a serious threat.
The CWA requires a
variety of measures to reduce polluted discharges, finance municipal
wastewater treatment facilities, and manage runoff. These controls are
designed for "the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and
wildlife and recreation in and on the water.” In more simple terms, it
establishes criteria for whether water is considered ‘fishable’
or ‘swimmable.’
If water is found to not meet criteria as fishable and swimmable, then it is
listed as impaired for that designated use. It is the responsibility of
each State to monitor their rivers and streams and produce a biannual report
on the State’s water quality to the US Congress. Click on
report to view Connecticut’s most recent assessment.
TMDLs that
have been developed for the greater Thames River watershed include the
upper Willimantic River in Stafford,
Eagleville Brook in Mansfield and for all of
Long Island Sound into which the Thames River discharges.
Other great web resources for TMDL
information include the Virginia Tech
Center for Watershed Studies, and
Maryland,
Maine and
New Hampshire each host websites with useful information.
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