Clean Water Act Section 303(d): Availability of List Decisions

This notice announces the availability of EPA's action identifying water quality limited segments and associated pollutants in Louisiana to be listed pursuant to Clean Water Act Section 303(d), and request for public comment. Section 303(d) requires that States submit and EPA approve or disapprove lists of waters for which existing technology-based pollution controls are not stringent enough to attain or maintain State water quality standards and for which total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) must be prepared. On November 17, 2011, EPA partially approved and proposed to partially disapprove Louisiana's 2010 Section 303(d) submittal. Specifically, EPA approved Louisiana's listing of 410 waterbody pollutant combinations, and associated priority rankings. EPA proposed to disapprove Louisiana's decisions not to list three waterbodies. These three waterbodies were added by EPA because the applicable numeric water quality standards marine criterion for dissolved oxygen was not attained in these segments. EPA is providing the public the opportunity to review its proposed decisions to add the three waters to Louisiana's 2010 Section 303(d) List. EPA will consider public comments and if necessary amend its proposed action on the additional waterbodies identified for inclusion on Louisiana's Final 2010 Section 303(d) List.