Smoky Hill / Saline River Basin TMDLs

• TMDLs for the Smoky Hill-Saline Basin
• Implementation Priority
• November 15, 2004 EPA Approval Letter
• August 7, 2003 Approval Letter
• September 30, 2003 Approval Letter
• March 3, 2004 Approval Letter

KDHE has completed the first round of TMDLs within the Smoky Hill-Saline Basin based on the 1998 and 2002- 303(d) lists. There are 33 approved TMDLs within the Smoky Hill-Saline Basin that describe the strategies and goals to reduce pollution to achieve water quality standards. Of these, there are five that are high priority for implementation. KDHE develops TMDLs on a basin by basin approach and will revisit existing TMDLs and develop new TMDLs within the Smoky Hill-Saline Basin in 2009 and 2014.

The 2008 - Section 303(d) list submitted to and approved by EPA identifies watersheds associated with 26 stream chemistry sampling stations as water quality impaired. There are two lakes in the Smoky Hill-Saline River Basin listed as water quality impaired. Among the streams: dissolved oxygen depletion, total suspended solids, total phosphorus, and selenium cause the greatest numbers of impairments. Other pollutants limiting the use of the Smoky Hill-Saline River Basin streams include arsenic, biological stressors, cadmium, lead, nitrates and E coli Bacteria. Among the lakes, eutrophic conditions indicative of excessive algae production, fluoride and arsenic were the causes of impairment. Each parameter causing impairment requires a TMDL.