Northeast Regional Mercury TMDL
The draft Northeast Regional Mercury TMDL is the Federal Clean Water Act mandated document that identifies pollutant load reductions necessary for regional waterbodies to meet and maintain compliance with state and federal water quality standards. The Northeast states have a number of statewide, regional, and waterbody-specific fish consumption advisories as a result of mercury pollution and the overall objective of the TMDL is to reduce mercury in regional waterbodies to the point that fish consumption advisories will no longer be necessary. The TMDL was prepared by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) in cooperation with the state environmental agencies of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The draft TMDL includes necessary controls from both within the region and outside the region.
On 10/24/2007 the six New England states and New York State jointly submitted the regional TMDL below to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A mercury TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of mercury that a water body can
receive and still meet regional water quality standard. Under the Clean Water Act, EPA has 30
days from the states’ TMDL submittal to either approve the plan or disapprove it and set its own
limits.
Related page: NEIWPCC - Water Quality - Mercury (off-site)
