TMDL Process

• Identify waters that do not meet water quality standards. In this process, the state identifies the particular pollutant(s) causing the water not to meet standards.
   
• Prioritize waters that do not meet standards for TMDL development (for example, waters with high naturally occurring "pollution" will fall to the bottom of the list), and
   
• Establish TMDLs (set the amount of pollutant that needs to be reduced and assign responsibilities) for priority waters to meet state water quality standards. A separate TMDL is set to address each pollutant with concentrations over the standards. 
   
• Develop strategies for reducing water pollution and assess progress made during implementation of the strategy. This is when a watershed partnership most likely will want to get involved. If the partnership has already developed a plan of action, it should be shared with the state. In fact, several states have incorporated watershed partnership plans in the state's strategy for specific TMDLs.