Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is the amount of a particular pollutant that a particular stream, lake, estuary or other waterbody can “handle” without violating state water quality standards.
Once a TMDL is established, responsibility for reducing pollution among both point sources (pipes) and diffuse sources is assigned. Diffuse sources include, but are not limited to, runoff (urban, agricultural, forestry, etc.) leaking underground storage tanks, unconfined aquifers, septic systems, stream channel alteration and damage to a riparian area.
TMDL’s completed in Morton County include:
- Crown Butte Dam
- Sweet Briar Dam
A water quality assessment has been completed for:
- Otter Creek/Harmon Lake
Currently, the Morton County SCD is monitoring:
- Big Muddy, Hailstone Creek Watershed and Danzig Dam