Public Meeting on Floyds Fork Pollution Control Plan EPA to host Aug. 30 meeting (KY)
(Atlanta, Ga. – Aug. 16, 2011) –
On Wednesday, August 30, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Region 4 will conduct a public meeting to obtain comments
from stakeholders on the process of developing a Total Maximum
Daily Load for Floyds Fork.
The meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. (EDT)
in the Eastern High School auditorium. The school is located in the
Middletown community of Louisville at 12400 Old Shelbyville
Road.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) 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 limit pollutants in
order to meet the designated use of a given water body (e.g.,
recreation, water supply, aquatic life, agriculture). TMDLs are
required for water bodies that are determined to be impaired.
Floyds Fork currently fails to meet state standards for recreation
and aquatic life.
EPA recently awarded a contract to Tetra Tech,
Inc., to develop a water quality model addressing nutrient
pollution within the entire Floyds Fork watershed to the confluence
with the Salt River. Technical assistance is being provided by the
Kentucky Division of Water.
Water quality protection and restoration is a
cooperative process that requires concerted action by citizens,
industry and government, said Amy Newbold, Kentucky Watershed
Coordinator for EPA Region 4. “Stakeholders provide valuable
information about water quality and use. They are the people and
groups who live, work and play in the watershed. They are also the
people responsible for making or implementing a management action,
the people who will be affected by the action and the people who
can facilitate its implementation.”
The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) will also
be organizing a stakeholder-driven watershed planning process to
build upon the TMDL development efforts. The development of an
effective watershed plan will create a mechanism for implementing
the TMDL.
“EPA’s efforts on the nutrient TMDL
are helpful and timely as we begin working with stakeholders on
developing a watershed planning process that integrates the
valuable efforts already underway in Floyds Fork,” said DOW
Director Sandy Gruzesky.
Members of the public who wish to obtain
additional information regarding this public meeting may contact,
Amy Newbold at (404) 562-9482 or
[email protected].
For more information regarding EPA's approach to developing the
Floyds Fork TMDL, contact Tim Wool at (404) 562-9260 or
[email protected].
Additional information about this meeting can be
found online at: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region4.html
