Root River Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load Report for Bacteria, Nitrate and Suspended Solids

The Clean Water Act (1972) requires that each state develop a plan to identify and restore any waterbody that is by state regulations, deemed impaired. A Total Maximum Daily Load Study (TMDL) is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a result of the federal Clean Water Act. A TMDL identifies the pollutant that is causing the impairment and how much of that pollutant can enter the waterbody and still allow it to meet water quality standards. This TMDL study includes calculations for bacteria, nitrate, and total suspended solids (TSS) pollutants on 30 stream reaches located in the Root River Watershed (RRW) (hydrologic unit code (HUC) 07040008) in southeastern Minnesota that are on the 2012 EPA 303(d) list of impaired waters.