Workshop I
The ABCs of TMDLs: An Overview of the Clean Water Act and Section 303(d) TMDL Provisions of the Clean Water Act

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 – 8:30am - 4:30pm

Presented by:

Bill Painter, USEPA Office of Water, Washington DC
Leslie Shoemaker, Tetra Tech, Fairfax VA
Barry Tonning, Tetra Tech, Fairfax VA
Case Study Presenters TBA

More than 40% of assessed waters in the U.S. still do not meet the water quality standards states, territories, and authorized tribes have set for them. These impaired waters include approximately 300,000 miles of rivers and shorelines and approximately 5 million acres of lakes, polluted mostly by sediments, excess nutrients, and harmful microorganisms. Under section 303(d) of the 1972 Clean Water Act, states, territories, and authorized tribes are required to develop lists of impaired waters, i.e., those that do not meet the water quality criteria set for their designated uses. The law requires that these jurisdictions establish priority rankings for waters on the list and develop plans that reasonably assure attainment of water quality standards.

States are now gearing up to implement Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. But exactly what are TMDLs? Can they be incorporated into watershed management programs? How can stakeholders from the agricultural community participate in the TMDL process?

This preconference workshop seeks to impart a fundamental understanding of key Clean Water Act programs and how TMDL provisions can be integrated into a comprehensive framework for watershed assessment, planning, and management. The workshop includes slide presentations on state and federal water quality standards programs, TMDLs, NPDES permitting, nonpoint source programs, and other provisions of the Clean Water Act that relate to TMDLs. During the lecture sessions, trainees will be encouraged to raise questions and contribute some of their “real world” examples on the topics under discussion. The course is designed to be both engaging and educational, and provides trainees with opportunities to integrate what they‚ve heard in the presentations with examples from case studies and their own experience.

Trainees will receive a course handbook that includes copies of all the slides and space for note-taking beside each one. The handbook contains a number of fact sheets and other reference documents, along with listings of publications, web-sites, and organizations that provide further detail on subjects covered in the workshop. This workshop has been presented around the country to USEPA staff, state water agency per-sonnel, and others during the past two years. Instructors include senior staff from Tetra Tech, USEPA, and other organ-izations involved in watershed protection and restoration.

COST: $75 per person, Includes handouts and lunch

Workshop II

TMDL Applications using SWAT

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2002

8:30-9:00 AM REGISTRATION

9:00-10:00 AM OVERVIEW OF SWAT MODEL CAPABILITIES Jeff Arnold (USDA-ARS Blackland Research Center)

10:00-10:45 AM DEMONSTRATION OF SWATARCVIEW INTERFACE R. Srinivasan (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Blackland Research Center)

10-45-11:00 AM BREAK

11:00-12:15 PM DEMONSTRATION OF SWATARCVIEW INTERFACE (continued) R. Srinivasan (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Blackland Research Center)

12:15-1:30 PM LUNCH

1:30-3:00 PM SWAT APPLICATION IN BOSQUE RIVER WATERSHED (1 1/2 HOURS) C. Santhi (Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Blackland Research Center)

3:00-3:15 PM BREAK

3:15-5:00 PM QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

COST: $75 per person, Includes handouts and lunch