INTEGRATED WATER-QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Components of the integrated water quality management and planning pro cess are described. The process is initiated by the Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) in which the ambient water quality-use based standards are justified and/or modified for the water body for which water quali ty management is being considered. The UAA has three components: (1) W ater Body Assessment, (2) The Total Maximal Daily Load (TMDL) Process, and (3) Socio-economic Analysis. The first component identifies wheth er the receiving water body and watershed have a water quality problem and, subsequently, separates such water bodies into those where the w ater quality problem is caused by natural loads or conditions and thos e where man-made pollution inputs cause unacceptable water quality det erioration. The TMDL process separates water bodies into those for whi ch water quality goals can be achieved by present and future mandated abatement of point and nonpoint sources (effluent limited water bodies ) and those mandated abatement will not achieve the water quality goal s (water quality limited water bodies). Extensive water quality manage ment and expenditure of public funds is justified for the latter cases . Watersheds and receiving water bodies which are adversely affected p redominantly by nonpoint (unregulated) discharges are declared as impa ired and should be managed. Both reduction of waste discharges and enh ancement of waste assimilative capacity-habitat restoration of the rec eiving water body should be considered in management of water quality limited receiving waterbodies. Copyright (C) 1996 IAWQ.