From: <dep.online@wv.gov>
Date: February 22, 2011 9:56:37 AM EST
Subject: DEP News - Cheat Watershed improvement plan approved by EPA

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011 @ 9:56 AM
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West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection water
quality improvement plans for selected waters in the Cheat
Watershed have been approved by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.  

Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires
states to identify waters that are not meeting water
quality standards and develop total maximum daily loads, or
TMDLs, for those waters. A TMDL is a calculation of the
maximum amount of a pollutant that can be deposited into a
waterbody and still allow the waterbody to meet water
quality standards.

The pollutants of concern include total iron, dissolved
aluminum, pH, and fecal coliform bacteria. In addition,
some streams have also been identified as having
impairments to biological integrity. The Department of
Environmental Protection began this TMDL development
project in January 2006.

Approved TMDL documents may be viewed at www.dep.wv.gov.  
CDs for the Cheat Watershed may be requested by e-mail to
Stephen.A.Young@wv.gov, or by U.S. mail to West Virginia
DEP, Attn: Steve Young, TMDL, 601 57th Street, S.E.,
Charleston, WV 25304.  The CDs include a technical report
and an interactive ArcExplorer Project that are not
available on the website.


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