The federal Clean Water Act requires that states and tribes restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. States and tribes must adopt water quality standards necessary to protect fish, shellfish, and wildlife while providing for recreation in and on the waters whenever possible.

Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act establishes requirements for states and tribes to identify and prioritize water bodies that are water quality limited (i.e., water bodies that do not meet water quality standards). States and tribes must periodically publish a priority list of impaired waters, currently every two years. For waters identified on this list, states and tribes must develop water quality improvement plans known as total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) that establish allowable pollutant loads set at levels to achieve water quality standards.

Bissel Creek is a 15.3-mile second order tributary to the Lower Payette River in Gem County, Idaho. TMDLs for the rest of the Lower Payette River Subbasin are addressed in a separate document. The confluence of Bissel Creek and the Lower Payette River is located approximately 11 miles downstream and west of Emmett at Letha. Land ownership within the Bissel Creek drainage includes both private and public lands. Much of the public land is managed for grazing by the Bureau of Land Management.

In 1998, Bissel Creek was classified as water quality limited due to excessive sediment. In addition, recent bacteria data obtained for Bissel Creek indicate that primary contact recreation is not supported. Data indicate that below the North Side Canal, Bissel Creek contains excess total suspended solids during the irrigation season (April - September). The irrigation season average at two of the three established monitoring locations exceeds the 22 milligrams per liter target. A total suspended solids TMDL is necessary below the North Side Canal to reduce the amount of sediment in the water column.

The data also indicate that Bissel Creek contains excess E. Coli bacteria below the North Side Canal. Estimated geometric mean concentrations for the month of July at all three established monitoring locations show that the concentration of E. coli is more than five times the standard of 126 organisms per 100 milliliters of water. At one location the concentration is more than seven times the standard. A TMDL is necessary to reduce the amount of E. Coli bacteria in the stream.