TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) Studies

Sweeney Lake
On March 1, 2007, the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission approved conducting an excess nutrients TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) study of Sweeney Lake in Golden Valley, Minnesota. In October 2010, the Sweeney Lake TMDL was submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for its review.

-The MPCA held an open comment period on the TMDL from March 14, 2011, to April 13, 2011.

-The final TMDL was submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency in late spring 2011.

-On August 10, 2011, the U.S. EPA notified the MPCA that the Sweeney Lake TMDL meets the requirements of Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and the EPA's implementing regulations (40 C.F.R. Part 130) and therefore the EPA has approved the Sweeney Lake TMDL. The EPA's approval comprised a notification letter and a decision document containing a summary and specific comments on the EPA's review of the Sweeney Lake TMDL.

For more information on the Sweeney Lake Excess Nutrients TMDL Study, please visit the Sweeney Lake TMDL project Web site for additional information on the project or see the Sweeney Lake TMDL project Web site maintained by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/project-sweeneylake.html.

Wirth Lake
On March 20, 2008, the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC) approved conducting an excess nutrients TMDL for Wirth Lake, located on Minneapolis Park and Recreation property within the boundaries of the City of Golden Valley.

The BCWMC submitted the Wirth Lake TMDL to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in September 2010. The MPCA reviewed the Wirth Lake TMDL and in September 2010, the MPCA submitted the TMDL to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) for its review.

On October 25, 2010, the U.S. EPA notified the MPCA that the EPA determined that the Wirth Lake TMDL meets the EPA's requirements and that the EPA approved the Wirth Lake TMDL. The EPAs approval comprised a notification letter and a decision document containing a summary of the EPA's review of the Wirth Lake TMDL.

For more details on the Wirth Lake Excess Nutrients TMDL Study, please visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Wirth Lake TMDL project Web site at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/project-wirthlake.html.

Medicine Lake
On March 20, 2008, the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission approved conducting an excess nutrients TMDL study for Medicine Lake. For more information on the Medicine Lake Excess Nutrients TMDL Study, please visit the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Medicine Lake TMDL project Web site at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/project-medicinelake-phosphorus.html.

For More TMDL Information
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Web site also has information about and links to statewide TMDL studies that are underway. Visit http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-development.html for more information. The MPCA's also publishes on its Web site the 303(d) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) list at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-303dlist.html