What's New
Upcoming public meetings:
- February 16 - March 16: Comment period for Pamunkey River TMDL modification
- February 16 - March 16: Comment period for Water Quality Management Planning Regulation Amendment: Adoption of nine TMDL waste load allocations
- February 16 - March 16: Comment period for Water Quality Management Planning Regulation Amendment: Approval of six TMDL Implementation Plans
- February 16 - March 16: Comment period for Water Quality Management Planning Regulation Amendment: Approval of twenty-nine TMDL reports and ten TMDL modifications
- March 3: ***MEETING CANCELLED*** Greenvale and Beach Creeks - Lancaster
- March 10: James River and Tributaries - Richmond City, Chesterfield, Henrico, and Powhatan
- March 10: Hunting Creek, Cameron Run, Holmes Run - Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax
- March 12: Owens Pond, Little Taskmakers Creek, and an UT to the Chesapeake Bay near Fleeton Point - Northumberland
- March 24: Spout Run - Clarke
- March 25: Hunting Creek, Cameron Run, Holmes Run - Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax
- March 26: Cub Creek, Turnip Creek, Buffalo Creek, UT Buffalo Creek, Little Cub Creek, Big Cub Creek - Appomattox, Charlotte
- April 14: Little Calfpasture River - Rockbridge
Other information:
- Class VII - Swamp Waters Natural Conditions reports
- TMDL Progress Report (2000 - 2006) and Summary Booklet
- Reasonable Grounds Proposal Aquatic Life Use Attainability Analysis Submitted by the VA Coalfields TMDL Group and Public Notice
- Handout on TMDLs - DEQ's South Central Regional Office
- Report of the Academic Advisory Committee: Freshwater Nutrient Criteria for Rivers and Streams (December 2006)
- BST Analyses to support Virginia's TMDLs
- Virginia's Watershed Planning Process for Water Quality Management (A Continuing Planning Process)
- Division of Mined Land Reclamation TMDL Workshop
- Valley Region's First TMDL Implementation Workshop
- Cooks Creek and Blacks Run Implementation Fact Sheet
- Spotlight on water quality improvements in DEQ's valley region
- Public Participation Procedures for Water Quality Management Planning
TMDLs in Virginia
DEQ extensively tests Virginia's rivers, lakes, and tidal waters for pollutants. Over 130 different pollutants are monitored annually to determine whether the waters can be used for swimming, fishing and drinking. Most rivers, lakes and estuaries in Virginia do meet standards as described in our biennial 305(b) Water Quality Assessment Reports. Waters that do not meet standards are reported to the citizens of Virginia and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 303(d) Impaired Waters Report. Those impaired waters are the subject of this web site.
DEQ has developed lists of impaired waters in every even year since 1992. The most recent list was published in 2006. It individually describes segments of streams, lakes, and estuaries that exhibit violations of water quality standards. The report details the pollutant responsible for the violations, and the cause and source of the pollutant. Since 1998, DEQ has developed plans, with public input, to restore and maintain the water quality for the impaired waters. These plans are called "Total Maximum Daily Loads," or TMDLs. TMDL is a term that represents the total pollutant a waterbody can assimilate and still meet standards.