Source: https://www.env.nm.gov/swqb/Rio_Grande/Upper/2004/index.html
Timestamp: 2018-01-20 19:14:38
Document Index: 193004040

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2']

US EPA-Approved TMDL for the Upper Rio Grande Watershed - 2004
Monitoring, Assessements & Standards
US EPA-APPROVED TMDL
(Total Maximum Daily Load) for
The Upper Rio Grande - Part 1
The Upper Rio Grande watershed is located in north-central New Mexico. For practical purposes, the Upper Rio Grande watershed was divided into two investigations (i.e., Part 1 and Part 2). The Upper Rio Grande watershed from Pilar, New Mexico to the New Mexico-Colorado border was Part 1 of the Upper Rio Grande investigation and is addressed in this document.
EPA-Approved TMDL 15.8 MB
EPA Approval Letter 40 kb
WQCC Approval 60 kb
OTHER WORK IN THE
RIO GRANDE BASIN...
TMDL for the Upper Rio Grande Watersheds, 2012
TMDLs for the Upper Rio Grande Watershed, Part 2
TMDLs for the Red River
TMDLs for Cordova Creek
TMDL for the Valle Vidal
TMDL for the Rio Hondo
Intensive Watershed Survey 2000
Stations were located throughout the Upper Rio Grande watershed during an intensive watershed survey performed by the NMED-SWQB in 2000 to evaluate the impact of tributary streams. As a result of this monitoring effort, several exceedences of New Mexico water quality standards for temperature were documented. New impairment listings included:
Comanche Creek (Costilla Creek to Little Costilla Creek) - Temperature;
Costilla Creek (Diversion above Costilla to Comanche Creek) - Temperature;
Rio de los Pinos (Colorado border to headwaters) - Temperature;
Rio Fernando de Taos (Rio Pueblo de Taos to headwaters) - Specific Conductance, Temperature;
Rio Grande (Red River to New Mexico-Colorado border) - Temperature;
Rio Grande del Rancho - Specific Conductance;
Rio Hondo (Rio Grande to US Forest Service boundary) - Temperature;
Rio Pueblo de Taos (Rio Grande to Arroyo del Alamo) - Temperature;
Rio Pueblo de Taos (Arroyo del Alamo to Rio Grande del Rancho )- Temperature, Stream Bottom Deposits (sedimentation/siltation);
Rio Pueblo de Taos (Rio Grande del Rancho to Taos Pueblo Boundary) - Temperature; and
Rio San Antonio (Montoya Canyon to headwaters) - Temperature
The total maximum daily load (TMDL) addresses the above noted impairments as summarized in the tables found in the Executive Summary. The NMED-SWQB has prepared separate TMDL bundles for other surface waters in these watersheds, including the 2012 Upper Rio Grande and the 2005 Upper Rio Grande Part 2 TMDL documents. A later 2009 study identified other potential water quality impairments which are not as addressed. Additional data needs for verification of those impairments are being identified and data collection will follow. If the impairments are verified, subsequent TMDLs will be prepared in yet another TMDL document.
A TMDL document for stream bottom deposits and total phosphorus was previously completed for Cordova Creek (Costilla Creek to headwaters). Accordingly, this effort provides total maximum daily loads that address all the above noted impairments.
A 30-day comment period on the initial draft of this document opened August 10, 2004 and closed on September 9, 2004. A public meeting was held to summarize the information and to provide a forum for interested parties to ask questions and provide comments. The meeting date allowed the public time to review the document and generate questions or comments. The meeting was held in Taos on Tuesday, August 24 from 7-9pm at the Juan I. Gonzales Agricultural Center, located at 202 Chamisa Road.
All Public Comments that were submitted to SWQB staff were responded to and included as an additional appendix in the Final Draft which was submitted to the Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) for their approval on August 12, 2004 during their regular public meeting. After a brief deliberation, the WQCC approved the Final DRAFT TMDLs without alterations. The document was reviewed by the US EPA Region 6 Offices for final approval, which was granted on December 17, 2004.
The SWQB’s Monitoring, Assessment & Standards Section will collect water quality data during the next rotational cycle. The next scheduled monitoring date for the URG – Conejos Watersheds is 2017, at which time TMDL targets will be re-examined and potentially revised as this document is considered to be an evolving management plan. In the event that new data indicate that the targets used in this analysis are not appropriate and/or if new standards are adopted, the load capacity will be adjusted accordingly. When water quality standards have been achieved, the reach will be moved to the appropriate category in the Integrated Report.
The SWQB’s Watershed Protection Section will continue to work with watershed groups to develop Watershed-Based Plans (WBPs) to implement strategies that attempt to correct the water quality impairments detailed in this document. Implementation of items detailed in the WBPs will be done with participation of all interested and affected parties.