Milwaukee River Basin TMDL Update – March 2014
From: TMDL Development Team
This email provides an update on Milwaukee River Basin TMDL development progress and the projected schedule going forward. As we have previously noted, the TMDL Development Team sincerely appreciates your patience throughout the TMDL development process.
Our last progress update was sent in December. Per that update, a draft TMDL report and preliminary TMDL allocation information was delivered to WDNR on December 31, 2013 for WDNR internal review. The WDNR draft included preliminary load allocation information for the Kinnickinnic and Menomonee River watersheds, as well as for the Milwaukee Harbor Estuary. Functionality issues with the existing Water Quality Initiative (WQI) models have caused a delay in developing preliminary allocation information for the Milwaukee River watershed. The source of the issues has been determined and the TMDL Development Team is currently resolving them to produce the Milwaukee River watershed allocations for WDNR review. The model issues are related to specific output required for the TMDL effort, and do not affect the 2007 WQI analysis effort.
After WDNR’s internal review, revisions to the draft report will be made, and required adjustments to the preliminary load allocations will be performed. Any adjustments to the allocations will be to ensure consistency with other Wisconsin TMDLs. At that time, the allocations and supporting documentation will be made available on MMSD’s TMDL webpage (http://v3.mmsd.com/Report.aspx) for stakeholder review. Both a mailed notification to permit holders and an emailed announcement to those on the TMDL stakeholder email listing will be sent once the information is available on MMSD’s webpage. The TMDL allocations will then be presented and discussed at a stakeholder workshop planned for late spring / early summer – the meeting date and details for that workshop will also be provided in our communications.
After the stakeholder workshop to present the allocations, next steps include WDNR holding additional focused stakeholder workshops and public information sessions, providing an official public notice, delivering the final TMDL report submittal to USEPA for review and approval, and developing an implementation plan. Implementation plan completion is scheduled for December 31, 2014 and TMDL stakeholders will be invited to additional stakeholder meetings that will be part of the implementation plan development process.
All future workshop information will be distributed via email updates. If you know someone who is not on the TMDL stakeholder email list and would like to be added, contact martinka@swwtwater.org.
The TMDL Development Team appreciates your patience through this process. As always, information about the Milwaukee River Basin TMDLs is available at all times on the MMSD webpage http://v3.mmsd.com/Report.aspx. Information on all past meetings, including meeting notes and presenter slides, are available there for review.
Thank you,
Steve
Steven R. Heinz, P.E.
Senior Project Manager
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
260 W. Seeboth Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204-1446
(414) 225-2086
