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The following links and documents may be of interest to individuals who are involved with the Bacteria Implementation Group. Much of this information has been provided by BIG stakeholders. H-GAC does not necessarily support or endorse these, but is providing this information for reference purposes.
Wastewater Treatment Facilities
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See pages 29 & 37. Bacteria testing is required for permit application
TCEQ Bacteria Effluent Limitations Guidance about E.coli Monitoring Requirements in Domestic Wastewater Permits issued under the Texas Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (TPDES). Shows how the TCEQ arrives at the monitoring frequency for bacteria.
A violations are sent straight to enforcement, "B"s must be documented twice before enforcement action is taken, and "C"s may or may not be sent to enforcement after being documented 3 times in a five year period. This document can be revised at any time.
E.coli Limits and Monitoring Requirements for Bacteria in Domestic Wastewater Permits issued under the Texas Pollutants Discharge Elimination System (TPDES).
Kansas Approach
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TMDL and Stormwater Management
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Link is to a H-GAC webpage which provides LID resources, LID tool box, and LID Benefits. LID Guide is a downloadable document (New guide) which explains LID functions, benefits, best management practices, and ways to overcome obstacles to implementation.
EPA's handbook for TMDL practitioners and permit writers on current methods being used to develop more detailed stormwater-source TMDL allocations, TMDL implementation plans including best management practices, and methods for translating TMDL allocations into NPDES stormwater permit requirements.
EPA's Stormwater Resources web section. With the expansion of NDPES Stormwater regulations to smaller municipalities and smaller construction activities, there has been increasing demand for more detailed quantification of stormwater allocations in TMDLs that are more useful for implementation in NDPES permits.
Agriculture
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Managing the amount, source, placement, form and timing of the application of plant nutrients and soil amendments
Forestry BMPs are a set of guidelines that involve the application of conservation practices that effectively prevent or minimize the amount of nonpoint source pollution (NPS) generated during forestry operations.
Contact Recreation Use Attainability Analysis (UAA)
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May 19 presentation by TCEQ's Lori Hamilton regarding UAA procedures and the Buffalo and Whiteoak Bayou UAA
Water Quality Research and Workshops
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US EPA is in the process of collecting input from the scientific and technical community on research and science needs to develop up-to-date, scientifically defensible criteria to protect people from exposure to contaminated recreational waters. Near-term needs were defined as specific research and science activities that could be accomplished in 2 to 3 years to support development of new or revised criteria by 2012.
EPA is conducting two health (epidemiological) studies to help determine when water quality is safe for swimming. These studies will be used by EPA to develop new water quality criteria. One study will be conducted at a beach in a tropical region and another study will be conducted in marine waters impacted by urban runoff in a temperate region.
Learn More
The Water Quality Standards Academy Online (WQSA Online) posted its online module about human health ambient water quality criteria, called "Basic Course: Supplemental Topics" . The module introduces concepts used in the development of human health ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) and the methods for deriving these criteria, all presented in text-based information with links to further resources. More information on WQSA online is available through Bryan "Ibrahim" Goodwin (202-566-0762).
Learn More About WQSA
EPA Releases Two Literature Review Documents Related to Recreational Water Quality Risks
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EPA conducted two literature reviews to help inform development of new or revised recreational water quality criteria by 2012. The first document, Review of Published Studies to Characterize Relative Risks from Different Sources of Fecal Contamination in Recreational Waters, describes the existing information available to characterize the relative risks of human illness from various sources of fecal contamination in recreational waters. The second document, Review of Zoonotic Pathogens in Ambient Water, provides a summary of information on waterborne zoonotic pathogens that come primarily from warm-blooded animals. Both documents are available on the EPA's web site.
Impaired Waters and TMDL Program Results Analysis
The development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) has increased markedly in recent years and over 37,000 TMDLs have now been completed. The TMDL Program Results Analysis Project is a multi-year EPA effort directed at measuring and analyzing programmatic and environmental results from the TMDL Program.