Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) are determined and managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection based on the U.S. Clean Water Act to protect human health and aquatic life. A TMDL is a unit to indicate the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. The goal of a TMDL is to maintain water quality to a safe standard for public consumption.
Important Items
Sources of pollutants: Pollutants impacting water quality include pathogens, nutrients, sediment, and metals. Currently, the major pollutants found in Florida are nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, through leaching and runoffs.
Threshold limits on pollutants: Threshold limits on pollutants are set by rule 62-302 of Florida’s Administrative code that can be found in the Surface Water Quality Standards Chapter: https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=62-302.
Impacts to the environment: Nutrient pollutants can lead to algae blooms in water bodies, including streams, lakes, and others. They can be harmful to humans, wildlife, and tourism.
Best Management Practices: Best Management Practices (BMPs) are methods that have been determined to be the most effective, practical means of preventing or reducing pollution from nonpoint sources. These practices have been developed for agricultural and public uses.
Water quality monitoring: Since water quality decrease can be influenced by seasonal climate and human activities, water quality should be monitored continuously to ensure water use safety.
