Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Environmental Quality
Board
State Water Control Board
Meeting:
Technical Advisory Committee Meeting - TMDL Modification - Blacks Run & Cooks Creek Watersheds

 
Meeting Details
Date / Time 10/4/2017  2:00 pm
Location Department of Environmental Quality’s Valley Regional Office
4411 Early Road
Harrisonburg, VA 
Board Website http://www.deq.virginia.gov 
Agenda document agency has not posted
Minutes document pdf Meeting minutes 10/13/2017   (73k)       FINAL
Disability Friendly? Yes       Deaf interpreter available upon request? Yes
Purpose of the meeting
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will host a Technical Advisory Committee meeting for the modification of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the Blacks Run and Cooks Creek watersheds in Rockingham County, the Town of Bridgewater, and the City of Harrisonburg. Blacks Run and Cooks Creek were first listed as impaired on Virginia’s 303(d) TMDL Priority List and Report due to violations of the State’s water quality standard for bacteria and the General Standard (Benthics) in 1998. The creeks have remained on the 303(d) list for these impairments since then. A stressor analysis conducted by DEQ for both creeks indicated that sediment and phosphorous are the primary stressors responsible for the benthic impairment. The impaired segment of Cooks Creek extends 13.32 miles from the headwaters downstream to its confluence with the North River. The impaired segment of Blacks Run extends 10.74 miles from its headwaters downstream to its confluence with Cooks Creek. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and §62.1-44.19:7.C of the Code of Virginia require DEQ to develop TMDLs for pollutants responsible for each impaired water contained in Virginia’s 303(d) TMDL Priority List and Report. DEQ completed sediment, phosphorous, and bacteria TMDLs for Cooks Creek and Blacks Run in April 2002. The TMDLs were approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2004. The TMDL reports are available on the DEQ website at: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/programs/water/waterqualityinformationtmdls/tmdl/tmdldevelopment/approvedtmdlreports.aspx In order to address new and expanding discharges from permitted facilities in the watersheds since 2002, the TMDLs for these waterbodies must be modified. This modification will ensure that discharge permits issued within the watersheds remain consistent with the wasteload allocations in the TMDLs. This is the third Technical Advisory Committee meeting for this effort and the purpose of this meeting is to discuss proposed reduction scenarios to meet sediment and phosphorous load reductions needed to meet sediment and phosphorous TMDLs. During the meeting, reductions from various pollutant sources in the watershed will be discussed, and a final scenario will be selected that will accomplish overall TMDL goals. For questions about the upcoming meeting or the project in general, please contact the staff person listed.
Meeting Scope
 
Public hearing to receive comment on a proposed stage
X
General business of the board
 
Discuss particular regulations / chapters

Contact Information
Name / Title: Nesha McRae 
Address: DEQ Valley Regional Office
P.O. Box 3000
Harrisonburg, 22801
Email Address: nesha.mcrae@deq.virginia.gov
Telephone: (540)574-7850    FAX: (540)574-7878    TDD: ()-