water quality
Mercury
Northeast Regional Mercury TMDL
On December 20, 2007, the U.S. EPA approved the Northeast Regional
Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The TMDL is a regional
cleanup plan to reduce mercury entering into the states’ waters from
a range of pollution sources. The plan focuses on reducing
atmospheric deposition of mercury so that concentrations of mercury
in fish can be reduced to healthier levels. Based on calculations in
the TMDL, atmospheric deposition of mercury needs to be reduced by
98 percent from sources both inside and outside the region in order
to meet desired fish tissue concentrations.
NEIWPCC began working with the Northeast states – CT, ME, MA, NH,
NY, RI, and VT – on the regional TMDL in December 2005. The draft of
the plan was released for public comment on April 11, 2007.
Following the public release of the TMDL, eight public informational
meetings were held throughout the region and comments were accepted
until June 8. NEIWPCC and the states then revised the TMDL based on
comments received and produced a final TMDL document that was
submitted to EPA on October 24, 2007. The decision announced by EPA
on December 20 confirms the agency’s approval of this final TMDL
document.