Publication Summary

This is the plan for the Puyallup River Watershed Fecal Coliform Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Study.

The Puyallup River, White River, Clear Creek, Swan Creek, and Boise Creek have been listed by the state of Washington under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for non-attainment of Washington State fecal coliform (FC) bacteria criteria. The listings are based on sampling done by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) in 1987, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, and 2002.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires states to set priorities for cleaning up 303(d) listed waters and to establish a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for each. A TMDL entails an analysis of how much of a pollutant load a waterbody can assimilate without violating water quality standards. The Puyallup River TMDL Study will address the 303(d) listings for bacteria within the watershed.

This Quality Assurance Project Plan describes the technical study that will monitor levels of FC bacteria in the Puyallup River watershed, and will form the basis for allocation of contaminant loads to sources. The study will be conducted by Ecology′s Environmental Assessment Program.

Link to EIM data for User Study ID LSUL0001