[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 88 (Monday, May 10, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24861-24862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09762]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-10022-14-Region 3]


Draft TMDL for Sediment in the Indian Creek Watershed in 
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing for 
public review and comment a draft total maximum daily load (TMDL) for 
sediment in the Indian Creek Watershed in Montgomery County, 
Pennsylvania pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. To 
assist the public in their understanding of the draft TMDL and provide 
an overview of the TMDL process, EPA invites the public to attend a 
virtual public meeting. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires 
that each state identify those waters (called ``water quality-limited 
segments'') for which existing technology-based pollution controls are 
not stringent enough to attain or maintain state water quality 
standards and for which total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) must be 
developed. A TMDL establishes a target for the total load of a 
particular pollutant that a waterbody can assimilate without exceeding 
water quality standards and divides that load into wasteload 
allocations, given to point sources, load allocations, given to 
nonpoint sources and natural background, and a margin of safety, which 
takes into account any uncertainty. TMDLs provide a framework to 
achieve water quality standards in a watershed and inform other federal 
and state programs of the necessary pollutant reductions needed

[[Page 24862]]

by sources to achieve those standards. The draft TMDL report and 
information pertaining to the virtual public meeting is available from 
EPA Region 3's website at: https://www.epa.gov/tmdl/revised-sediment-tmdl-indian-creek-watershed-montgomery-county-pennsylvania.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 24, 2021. The public 
is welcomed to attend a virtual public meeting on June 8, 2021 from 1-
2:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the draft TMDL must be received in writing and 
sent by electronic mail to Ms. Jillian Adair at adair.jillian@epa.gov 
or by mail to Ms. Jillian Adair, Water Division (3WD42), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency Region 3, 1650 Arch Street, 
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029. Electronic mail submissions including body 
text and attachments are limited to 25 megabytes. In addition, EPA 
cannot receive electronic mail attachments in ZIP format (.zip). To 
attend the virtual public meeting, please use the weblink or conference 
line phone number provided at the above weblink in the SUMMARY.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jillian Adair at adair.jillian@epa.gov 
or (215) 814-5713.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 30, 2008, EPA established a sediment 
TMDL for the Indian Creek Watershed. On October 17, 2011 a complaint 
was filed against EPA regarding the TMDL [Civil Action No. 2:11-cv-
06489-CDJ (E.D.PA)]. EPA then agreed to reconsider the TMDL and 
investigate several concerns raised by the plaintiffs. On March 21, 
2014, EPA issued a reconsideration document, which identified certain 
concerns that the reference watershed approach and sediment loading 
rates used should be revisited. The court granted EPA's request for a 
voluntary remand of the 2008 sediment TMDL on April 3, 2014. EPA 
subsequently solicited input to seek relevant data and feedback, 
including four stakeholder meetings from 2014 to 2018 as part of its 
efforts to develop a revised draft sediment TMDL. EPA considered the 
information and data that were submitted by various stakeholders as 
part of the TMDL development effort. That information can also be 
accessed at the above weblink in the SUMMARY.

Leslie Gillespie-Marthaler,
Deputy Director, Water Division, Region III.
[FR Doc. 2021-09762 Filed 5-7-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


