Reducing Fecal Coliform and More - Total Max Daily Load Technical Report AvailableThe Deschutes River, Capitol Lake, and Budd Inlet Temperature, Fecal Coliform Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Fine Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load Technical Report: Water Quality Study Findings, is now available online at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/1203008.html Portions of the Deschutes River, Capitol Lake, and Budd Inlet do not meet the water quality standards and are on the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list for one or more of the following parameters: fecal coliform bacteria, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, or fine sediment. This report summarizes the technical basis for a water cleanup plan, or Total Maximum Daily Load study, which was conducted to determine the targets that enable waterbodies to meet standards. The project involved data collection to characterize the sources and processes relevant to the impairments as well as analytical tool development, including computer models, that will be used to simulate the potential benefits of various management strategies. Fecal coliform bacteria concentrations must be reduced during both the summer growing season and winter non-growing season. The highest reductions are needed in the small tributaries to Budd Inlet. Mature riparian shade must be established throughout the Deschutes River and Percival Creek watersheds. While restoring mature riparian vegetation and channel conditions would not result in temperature meeting the numeric criteria throughout the system, the actions would cool peak temperatures up to 6.9°C, reduce the number of reaches above lethal temperatures, increase minimum dissolved oxygen by 1.2 mg/L, and decrease maximum pH by 0.5 standard units under critical conditions. The combined effects of nonpoint and point sources currently exceed the loading capacity of the Deschutes River, Budd Inlet, and Capitol Lake for nutrients. Management actions are required to meet water quality standards for dissolved oxygen in these water bodies. The Water Quality Improvement Report will be prepared at a future date and will establish numeric load and wasteload allocations. If you have questions, contact Mindy Roberts at (360) 407-6804 or Mindy.Roberts@ecy.wa.gov. or Lydia C. Wagner, Water Cleanup Plan (TMDL) Coordinator, Lydia.Wagner@ecy.wa.gov at the Washington Department of Ecology, Direct 360-407-6329, PO Box 47775, Olympia, WA 98504-7775, or go to http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/wqhome.html
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