Project Summary:

Under contract with the First Coast Manufacturers Association, ATM is currently providing third party review of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Lower St. Johns River basin. This TMDL is being developed through an interagency effort by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the St. Johns River Water Management District, and the US Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station. The purpose of the TMDL is to define appropriate nutrient levels in the river to prevent excessive algal production.

To date, an extensive ambient sampling has been implemented and is ongoing, various computer models have been developed to simulate nonpoint sources of nutrients (PLSM & SJR-WAM), and a three dimensional hydrodynamic model (EDFC) of the lower basin has been developed and calibrated. Additional tasks that have yet to be completed include development of the water quality portion of the model (Qual-ICM) and the TMDL determination and allocation.

ATM is providing a comprehensive analysis of all portions of the TMDL development for the First Coast Manufacturers Association to assure that the agencies utilize the best available data and that the hydrodynamic and water quality models used are appropriate and calibrated properly. ATM's oversight of the TMDL development process will help to assure that the eventual determination and allocation of loads are conducted in a manner that is equitable and defensible.