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List
of Subbasin Assessments, TMDLs, and Implementation Plans in Idaho
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Overview
of the TMDL Process
Middle Snake River TMDL Contact
Balthasar
"Sonny" Buhidar
DEQ Twin Falls
Regional Office
1363 Fillmore Street
Twin Falls, ID 83301
ph: (208) 736-2190
fx: (208) 736-2194
balthasar.buhidar@deq.idaho.gov
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Surface Water: Middle Snake River
Watershed Management Plan (Total
Phosphorus Only)
> Link to document
> Link to Aquaculture Wasteload Allocations
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| Middle Snake River Watershed
Management Plan at a Glance
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| Hydrologic
Unit Codes |
17040212
and 17040213 |
| Length of Reach |
94 miles |
| §303(d)
Listed Stream Segments |
14 sections of the middle Snake River, including
Bliss, Shoshone Falls, Upper Salmon Falls, and Lower Salmon
Falls Reservoirs |
| Beneficial
Uses Affected |
Aquatic life, primary
and secondary contact recreation |
| Pollutants
of Concern |
Nutrients, sediment, dissolved oxygen, flow
alteration, ammonia, pathogens, temperature |
| Major Land Uses
|
Irrigated agriculture, confined animal feeding
operations, food processing, aquaculture, urban, hydroelectric
development |
| Date
Approved by U.S. EPA |
April 1997
> View Approval Letter |
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| Background |
| 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. |
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| Overview |
| A large portion of the economy and culture
of south-central Idaho is dependent on water provided by the middle
Snake River and its tributaries. The middle Snake River has 14 segments
listed as priority segments on the 1996 §303(d) list.
The middle Snake River's
hydrologic system is shaped by precipitation, the river itself,
tributaries, irrigation return flows, ground water flow, and geothermal
sites. With the exception of precipitation, all of these sources
receive nutrient inputs from human activities. Severely diminished
instream flows have historically limited the middle Snake River's
ability to assimilate these nutrient-rich inputs.
This document
is the first phase in a phased TMDL and focuses on reductions in
total phosphorus. Proposed industry total phosphorus reductions
will be implemented within five years of the approval of this TMDL
and will be maintained for an additional five years to reach an
instream target of 0.75 milligrams per liter total phosphorus at
Gridley Bridge in Hagerman, Idaho. Total phosphorus reductions will
come from aquaculture, food processors, municipalities, confined
animal feeding operations, irrigated agriculture, and the hydroelectric
power industry.
Additional phases of the
phased TMDL will focus on sediment reduction (phase II), nitrogen
reduction (phase III), flow (phase IV), and other pollutants and
stressors (phase V). These phases have been addressed simultaneously
in the Upper
Snake Rock TMDL. |
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| Streams and Pollutants for Which TMDLs Were
Developed |
| 14 sections of the middle Snake
River, including Bliss, Shoshone Falls, Upper Salmon Falls,
and Lower Salmon Falls Reservoirs |
Total phosphorus |
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| Watershed Management Plan |
| View entire document (pdf 3.0 mb, 130 pages). |
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| Aquaculture Wasteload Allocations |
Draft
wasteload allocations for aquaculture facilities were developed
in July 2004. These allocations are designed to meet the total phosphorus
reductions as specified in the Middle Snake River and Upper Snake
Rock TMDLs. The allocations affect 37 TMDLs for total phosphorus
and total suspended solids and six associated segments of the Snake
River.
Public comments were accepted on the document in August 2004. Based
on the information and comments received, DEQ modified the d ocument
and is resubmitting it for public comment in the following three
parts:
- Part 1: establishes wasteload
allocations for fish hatcheries in the subbasin. Public comment
period closed March 7, 2005.
›
View
Part 1 (pdf 442 kb, 71 pages)
- Part 2: establishes wasteload
allocations for certain fish processors in the subbasin. Open
for public comment April 26 - June 3, 2005.
›
View
Part 2 (pdf 100 kb, 15 pages)
›
Submit
comment.
- Part 3: establishes wasteload
allocations for facilities on Billingsley Creek. Public comment
period to be determined.
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