Water Quality Assessment Report - Florida Department of ...

Executive Summary
Springs Coast
The Water Quality Assessment Report for the Springs Coast Basin is
part of the implementation of the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection’s (Department’s) watershed management approach for restoring
and protecting water resources and addressing Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) Program requirements. A TMDL represents the maximum
amount of a given pollutant that a waterbody can assimilate and still
meet the waterbody’s designated uses. A waterbody that does not meet its
designated uses is defi ned as impaired. The watershed approach, which is
implemented using a cyclical management process, provides a framework
for implementing the requirements of the 1972 federal Clean Water Act
and the 1999 Florida Watershed Restoration Act (Chapter 99-223, Laws of
Florida).
A Status Report, published during Phase 1 of the watershed management
cycle, provided a Planning List, or preliminary identifi cation,
of potentially impaired waterbodies in the Springs Coast Basin. This
Assessment Report presents the results of additional data gathered during
Phase 2 of the cycle. The report contains a Verifi ed List of impaired waters
(Table 5.3 in Chapter 5) that has been adopted by Secretarial Order and
approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). TMDLs
must be developed and implemented for these waters, unless the impairment
is documented to be a naturally occurring condition that cannot
be abated by a TMDL, or unless a management plan already in place is
expected to correct the problem. The Verifi ed List also constitutes the
Group 5 basin-specifi c 303(d) list of impaired waters, so called because
it is required under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. In addition,
the report provides the results of a preliminary assessment of ground water
quality and ground water to surface water interactions in the basin. It also
discusses priorities for further evaluation, resource priorities, and proposed
actions. (See Noteworthy in Chapter 1 for a description of the contents of
this report, by chapter.)
In the Springs Coast Basin, state, federal, regional, and local agencies
and organizations are making progress toward identifying problems and
improving water quality. Through its watershed management activities,
the Department works with these entities to support programs that are
improving water quality and restoring and protecting ecological resources.
The Department’s TMDL Program objectives will be carried out in the
basin through close coordination with key stakeholders and initiatives
such as the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD);
SWFWMD’s Crystal River/Kings Bay Surface Water Improvement and
Management Program; Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, and Pinellas Counties;
and the municipalities of Port Richey, New Port Richey, Weeki Wachee,
Brooksville, Crystal River, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Dunedin,
Clearwater, Largo, and Gulfport.
Water Quality Assessment Report: Springs Coast
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