DOE is developing a TMDL for the Palouse River, which has, among other things, a problem with fecal coliform bacteria.
Public comment information is available here, and the draft report is available here (pdf). The comment period closes on September 25.
After sitting out the fiasco process of adopting the Walla Walla River TMDL, I’m tempted to get involved in this one. As a rule, DOE’s studies typically identify nonpoint sources as the cause of impairments for every kind of substance from toxics to bacteria. And, also as a rule, DOE’s implementation strategy has been to ratchet down on the point sources. Point sources in this part of the world (and on this particular watershed) consisting of municipal wastewater facilities, what DOE’s strategy accomplishes is to shift the cost of rural activities onto the rate-paying city folk. Not to mention the strategy raises some legitimate questions as to whether it’s even likely to effectively reduce pollutant loads.
TMDLs are still new, and so far more time has been spent putting them into place than determining whether they are effective. It would be nice to see some creative thinking about how to fix the problem instead of the usual, politically safe approach of focusing on pipes.
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