The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is seeking public comment until Jan. 2, 2012, on a draft report addressing bacteria impairment in nine stream segments and two springs within the South Elkhorn Creek watershed located in the Kentucky River Basin.
The Clean Water Act requires each state to periodically identify specific waters where designated uses are not being met and water quality impairments exist. The state is also required to prioritize the list of impaired waters, calculate a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) of pollutants for those waters and devise plans to improve the water quality. A TMDL is a calculated amount of pollutants a particular water body may contain and remain unimpaired for its designated use.
The report, “Total Maximum Daily Load for Fecal Coliform and E. coli, Nine Stream Segments and Two Springs within the South Elkhorn Creek Watershed, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Scott and Woodford counties, Kentucky,” prepared by the Kentucky Division of Water addresses bacteria impairments in the South Elkhorn Creek watershed at levels that make them unsuitable for swimming. The report includes data and procedures used to calculate the TMDL for the stream segments.
