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Water quality improvement plans are vital components to ensure Arizona's lakes and streams meet applicable water quality standards. These dynamic plans are consistent with the goals and mission set forth by the Water Quality Division and in Arizona's 5-Year Nonpoint Source Management Plan.
ADEQ's Water Quality Division plays an integral role in the development of two important types of water quality improvement plans, watershed-based plans and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation plans. The biggest difference between an implementation plan and a watershed-based plan is scale. TMDL implementation plans are written for lakes or specified stream segments within a larger watershed.
Large scale watershed-based plans are currently being developed by Arizona's NEMO (Nonpoint for Municipal Officials) Program. ADEQ and the University of Arizona have partnered to create and develop Arizona's NEMO Program.
ADEQ is available to provide technical assistance to watershed partnerships and work with other stakeholder groups in the development of watershed-based plans or other water resource management documents designed to protect and improve water quality. For more information contact Kasha Steinke, Watershed Coordinator, at (602) 771-4243 or toll free at (800) 234-5677.
Watershed-based Plans
Watershed-based plans are holistic documents that are designed to protect and restore a watershed. These plans provide a careful analysis of the sources of water quality problems, their relative contributions to the problems, and alternatives to solve those problems. Watershed-based plans should also deliver proactive measures to protect waterbodies. In watersheds where a TMDL has been developed and approved or is in process of being developed, watershed-based plans must be designed to achieve the load reductions called for in the TMDL.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends in federal guidance that watershed-based plans incorporate Nine Key Elements for solving water quality problems and developing a more comprehensive management strategy. "Solving water resource problems at a watershed level will provide the best basis for sound decision-making and implementation" (Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories  - Federal Register: Oct. 23, 2003, Volume 68, Number 205).
ADEQ encourages groups to utilize and incorporate the recommended Nine Key Elements into watershed-based plans. Funding opportunities are enhanced as projects and management measures identified within these plans receive priority funding through ADEQ's Water Quality Improvement Grant Program.
In broad terms, the elements that EPA and ADEQ recommend for a watershed-based plan are:
Element 1: Causes and Sources
Element 2: Expected Load Reductions
Element 3: Management Measures
Element 4: Technical and Financial Assistance
Element 5: Information/education Component
Element 6: Schedule
Element 7: Measurable Milestones
Element 8: Evaluation of Progress
Element 9: Effectiveness Monitoring
Watershed-based plans in place and currently managing water resources might have some or all of these elements already included, or need minimal supplementation to satisfy the recommended Nine Key Elements. The recommended elements may overlap with elements required for planning documents developed for other local/state/federal agencies. If other planning documents or water quality improvement plans have been developed by or for other entities and contain the nine elements, they may also be used for priority grant funding. ADEQ encourages partnerships to incorporate by reference any voluminous material that already exists in other documents as this information may assist in completing watershed-based plan components. This also avoids duplication of any existing processes or documents that provide the needed information. Watershed-based plans should be reviewed and edited to incorporate the nine elements.
NEMO Watershed Based Plans
Arizona NEMO will help improve water quality by developing large-scale realistic watershed-based plans to achieve water quality standards and protection goals for three initial watersheds: the Bill Williams, Upper Gila and the Verde River. These will be followed by plans for the Little Colorado, Agua Fria and San Pedro Rivers. These plans will identify areas that are susceptible to water quality problems and pollution, sources that need to be controlled, and management measures that must be implemented to protect or improve water quality. For more information contact Kristine Uhlman, Program Coordinator, (520) 792-9591, Ext. 51.
TMDL Implementation Plans
For each TMDL, ADEQ's Water Quality Division is required to establish a TMDL implementation plan that explains how the allocations and any reductions in existing pollutant loadings will be achieved (Arizona Revised Statute § 49-234G). Developing implementation plans is an integral piece of the TMDL process. The achievement of water quality standards in most surface waters will occur due to voluntary efforts such as voluntary cleanup actions, voluntary implementation of best management practices, volunteer monitoring, and education. When developing implementation plans, ADEQ uses EPA's recommended Nine Key Elements to develop a comprehensive management strategy to improve water quality.
Stakeholders are encouraged to participate throughout the process to identify actions that should be taken to ensure that plans are implemented. Throughout the development process, public involvement is actively encouraged by ADEQ. Collaborative stakeholder groups are encouraged to help in the development of water quality improvement management measures and monitoring. ADEQ requests public input, information, and remarks through a formal review and comment period on draft and final document plans. Information on public notices, meetings, and hearings can be located here or by contacting Kasha Steinke, Watershed Coordinator, at (602) 771-4243 or toll free at (800) 234-5677.
Nine Key Elements
- Element 1: Causes and Sources
Clearly define the causes and sources of impairment (physical, chemical, and biological).
- Element 2: Expected Load Reductions
An estimate of the load reductions expected for each of the management measures or best management practices to be implemented (recognizing the natural variability and the difficulty in precisely predicting the performance of management measures over time).
- Element 3: Management Measures
A description of the management measures or best management practices and associated costs that will need to be implemented to achieve the load reductions estimated in this plan and an identification (using a map or a description) of the critical areas where those measures are needed.
- Element 4: Technical and Financial Assistance
An estimate of the amounts of technical and financial assistance needed, associated costs, and/or the sources and authorities that will be relied upon, to implement this plan.
- Element 5: Information/education Component
An information/education component that will be used to enhance public understanding of the project and encourage their early and continued participation in selecting, designing, and implementing management measures.
- Element 6: Schedule
A schedule for implementing management measures identified in this plan that is reasonably expeditious.
- Element 7: Measurable Milestones
A schedule of interim, measurable milestones for determining whether the management measures, best management practices, or other control actions are being implemented.
- Element 8: Evaluation of Progress
A set of criteria that can be used to determine whether loading reductions are being achieved over time and substantial progress is being made towards attaining water quality standards and, if not, the criteria for determining whether the plan needs to be revised or, if a TMDL has been established, whether the TMDL needs to be revised.
- Element 9: Effectiveness Monitoring
A monitoring component to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation efforts over time, measured against the criteria established in the Evaluation of Progress element.
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