Surface Water - Alabama Department of Environmental Management

Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Background: The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is to restore and maintain the
chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s Waters (Water Polution
Control Federation 1987). As the state’s environmental agency, the Alabama Department
of Environmental Management (ADEM) establishes water quality standards and
implements management programs to meet these goals. The ADEM conducts monitoring
to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs and to determine water quality status and
trends.
Section 303(d) of the CWA (§303(d)) requires that each state identify those waters that
do not currently support water quality standards or designated uses. For each waterbody on
the list, the state is required to establish a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the
pollutant or pollutants of concern at a level necessary to meet the applicable water quality
standards. Nationwide, this process has been most effective at addressing impairments
caused by point source discharges. However, pollutants from point sources only accounted
for 47 (15%) of the 303 total sources on Alabama’s 2002 §303(d) list.
In 2003, the USEPA linked CWA §319 funding to the TMDL process to begin to
implement nonpoint source control activities more effectively. To obtain best management
practice implementation funding, a Watershed Plan that addresses an approved TMDL
must be developed. The Watershed Plan must describe a holistic strategy to improve,
maintain, or protect water quality, it must address both point and nonpoint source issues
within the watershed, and it must describe how nonpoint source load reductions will be
achieved.
ADEM NPS Management Strategy: In 1996, the Alabama Department of Environmental
Management (ADEM) adopted an adaptive watershed management strategy to synchronize
water quality monitoring and management. Concentrating planning and implementation
efforts within one basin group allows a focused review of available data and provides
coordinated water quality monitoring and assessment efforts, efficient implementation of
pollution control activities on a geographic basis, and consistent and integrated decisionmaking
for awarding CWA §319 funds.
Since 1998, ADEM’s voluntary, incentive-based nonpoint source management program
has been implemented through ten basinwide Clean Water Partnership Projects. Through
these partnerships, management plans are developed and implemented for each basin. The
partnerships allow for participation and collaboration among community-based groups,
government agencies, industry, farms, forestry, special interest groups, and individual
citizens.
ADEM NPS Monitoring Strategy: A 2-tiered monitoring approach is used to identify
impaired waters, determine the causes and sources of impairment, and evaluate the
effectiveness of pollution control activities. This approach concentrates ADEM’s
resources in areas with the greatest potential for impairment and where more intensive
monitoring is required. Tier I monitoring, completed using ADEM’s basinwide screeninglevel
assessment methods, is conducted on a repeating 5-year management cycle during
1