What's New
- Comment period March 3 to April 2, 2008: Proposed amendments to the water quality management planning regulation: Thirty-six TMDL reports and one TMDL modification
- Comment period March 3 to April 2, 2008: Proposed amendments to the water quality management planning regulation: Twenty-four TMDL Waste Load Allocations
- Comment period March 3 to April 2, 2008: Proposed amendments to the water quality management planning regulation: Four Implementation Plans
Upcoming public meetings:
- May 5 - June 4: Comment period for Middlesex County No Discharge Zone
- May 12 - May 28: Comment period extension for Mill and Powhatan Creeks
- May 12 - May 28: Comment period extension for Accomack Coastal Segments
- May 12 - May 28: Comment period extension for Parker Creek
- May 12 - May 28: Comment period extension for the Pound River watershed
- May 12 - May 28: Comment period extension for Bull Creek
- June 5: Spring Creek Watershed - Prince Edward, Amelia
Other information:
- Reasonable Grounds Proposal Aquatic Life Use Attainability Analysis Submitted by the VA Coalfields TMDL Group and Public Notice
- Handout on TMDLs - DEQ's South Central Regional Office
- Report of the Academic Advisory Committee: Freshwater Nutrient Criteria for Rivers and Streams (December 2006)
- BST Analyses to support Virginia's TMDLs
- Virginia's Watershed Planning Process for Water Quality Management (A Continuing Planning Process)
- Division of Mined Land Reclamation TMDL Workshop
- Valley Region's First TMDL Implementation Workshop
- Cooks Creek and Blacks Run Implementation Fact Sheet
- Spotlight on water quality improvements in DEQ's valley region
- Public Participation Procedures for Water Quality Management Planning
TMDLs in Virginia
DEQ extensively tests Virginia's rivers, lakes, and tidal waters for pollutants. Over 130 different pollutants are monitored annually to determine whether the waters can be used for swimming, fishing and drinking. Most rivers, lakes and estuaries in Virginia do meet standards as described in our biennial 305(b) Water Quality Assessment Reports. Waters that do not meet standards are reported to the citizens of Virginia and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 303(d) Impaired Waters Report. Those impaired waters are the subject of this web site.
DEQ has developed lists of impaired waters in every even year since 1992. The most recent list was published in 2006. It individually describes segments of streams, lakes, and estuaries that exhibit violations of water quality standards. The report details the pollutant responsible for the violations, and the cause and source of the pollutant. Since 1998, DEQ has developed plans, with public input, to restore and maintain the water quality for the impaired waters. These plans are called "Total Maximum Daily Loads," or TMDLs. TMDL is a term that represents the total pollutant a waterbody can assimilate and still meet standards.