The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) has extended the public comment period from July 29 to Aug. 29 on a draft report addressing E. coli and fecal coliform impairments of 18 stream segments in the Floyds Fork watershed located in Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties.
The Clean Water Act requires each state to periodically identify specific waters where designated uses are not being met and water quality impairments exist. The state is also required to prioritize the list of impaired waters, calculate a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of pollutants for those waters and devise plans to improve the water quality.
“Total Maximum Daily Load” is a term used to describe the amount of pollution a stream can receive and still meet water quality standards. Water quality standards are regulations based on federal or state law that set numeric or narrative limits on pollutants. TMDLs are required for water bodies that are determined to be impaired.
The report, prepared by DOW, addresses bacteria impairments in 18 stream segments that make them impaired for the primary contact recreation (swimming) and secondary contact recreation (boating and wading) designated uses. The report also includes nine stream segments that have not been previously listed as impaired. Public comment is being sought on both the TMDL and the new listings.
Revisions to the report may be made following the public comment period and before it is sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval. The report may be viewed online at http://water.ky.gov/Pages/PublicNotices.aspx.
For print copies of the report or to submit comments, contact Andrea Fredenburg at the Division of Water, 200 Fair Oaks Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601, by telephone at 502-564-3410 or by email at Andrea.Fredenburg@ky.gov.
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