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EPA Approves Kansas' Impaired Waters List

Release Date: 12/22/2005
Contact Information:

Environmental News Martin Kessler (913) 551-7236 kessler.martin@epa.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 22, 2005 EPA APPROVES KANSAS’ IMPAIRED WATERS LIST EPA has approved Kansas’ 2004 Section 303(d) List of impaired waters requiring the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) to address the impairments. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant’s sources. EPA commends the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for devoting a significant amount of staff resources to developing the state’s 303(d) list, and for conducting a complex evaluation and assessment of water quality data. Under Section 303(d) of the 1972 Clean Water Act, states, territories, and authorized tribes are required to develop lists of impaired waters every two years. By law, EPA must approve or disapprove those 303(d) lists. EPA is approving 1,639 water-quality limited segments for which TMDLs will be developed by the state. Also, under an agreement with the state, intensive bacterial studies will be conducted by KDHE at 17 monitoring stations across the state to assess pollutant criteria for primary and secondary contact recreation. Links to EPA’s December 22 approval letter and supporting documentation will be available on-line (under the text of this release) by Dec. 23 at: https://www.epa.gov/region07/water/tmdl.htm. # # #