• You are here: EPA Home
• Water
• WATERS
• Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information
• Alabama Water Quality Assessment Report

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Summary Results

Alabama (2006)

	Size of Water
	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)	Bays and Estuaries (Square Miles)	Ocean and Near Coastal (Square Miles)
Good Waters	6,983.6	91,229.2	78.7
Previously impaired waters       now attaining all uses	55.7
Threatened Waters
TMDL completed
TMDL alternative
Non-pollutant impairment
TMDL needed
Impaired Waters	2,547.3	81,837.8	426.8	201.0
TMDL completed	701.6	28,886.7
TMDL alternative	52.9
Non-pollutant impairment	22.8
TMDL needed	1,770.1	52,951.1	426.8	201.0
New TMDLs completed	118.0	.0	4.2	.0
Remaining TMDLs needed	1,652.1	52,951.1	422.6	201.0
Total Assessed Waters	9,530.9	173,067.0	505.5	201.0
Total Waters	77,242.0	490,472.0	610.0	Unavailable
Percent of Waters Assessed	12.3	35.3	82.9	Unavailable

Top of page

Summary of Water Quality Assessments for Each Waterbody Type
for Reporting Year 2006

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Rivers and Streams 2006

Description of this table Assessed Status Miles Assessed 9,530.9 Unassessed 67,711.1 Total Miles 77,242.0

Description of this table Attainment Status Miles Good 6,983.6 Threatened .0 Impaired 2,547.3 Total Miles Assessed 9,530.9

Description of this table TMDL Development Status Miles All TMDLs completed 819.6 TMDL alternative 52.9 Non-pollutant impairment 22.8 TMDL needed 1,652.1 Total Threatened and Impaired 2,547.3

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Rivers and Streams 2006

* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.

Designated Use	Miles Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	6,359.6	83.7	.0	16.3
Drinking And Food Processing	728.3	95.8	.0	4.2
Fishing	9,495.7	76.0	.0	24.0
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	9,512.0	95.1	.0	4.9
Outstanding Alabama Water	270.1	67.1	.0	32.9
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	6,310.4	71.5	.0	28.5

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Rivers and Streams 2006

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Miles Threatened or Impaired
Sedimentation/Siltation	Sediment	931.2
BOD, Carbonaceous	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	832.0
Fecal Coliform	Pathogens	800.0
Phosphorus, Total	Nutrients	538.9
Nitrogenous BOD	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	476.0
Mercury	Mercury	435.6
Ammonia, Total	Ammonia	310.9
Nitrogen, Total	Nutrients	167.6
Iron	Metals (other than Mercury)	118.2
Turbidity	Turbidity	110.5
Aluminum	Metals (other than Mercury)	72.4
Zinc	Metals (other than Mercury)	65.7
pH	pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	58.1
Cyanide	Toxic Inorganics	57.0
Cause Unknown	Cause Unknown	56.8
Endosulfan	Pesticides	50.7
Methyl Parathion	Pesticides	50.7
Benzo[a]pyrene (PAHs)	Toxic Organics	44.6
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	42.2
Lead	Metals (other than Mercury)	35.0
Chromium, Trivalent	Metals (other than Mercury)	29.2
Dieldrin	Pesticides	24.3
Atrazine	Pesticides	23.4
Chlorpyrifos	Pesticides	23.4
Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)	Total Toxics	21.1
Dissolved Oxygen	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	19.6
Arsenic	Metals (other than Mercury)	19.6
DDT	Pesticides	18.8
Copper	Metals (other than Mercury)	15.8
Organic Enrichment (Sewage) Biological Indicators	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	5.2
Other Flow Regime Alterations	Flow Alteration(s)	3.2
Chlordane	Pesticides	2.0
Chloride	Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	.2

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Rivers and Streams 2006

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Miles Threatened or Impaired
Livestock (Grazing Or Feeding Operations)	Agriculture	579.7
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	555.1
Source Unknown	Unknown	528.0
Agriculture	Agriculture	404.5
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	323.9
Impacts From Abandoned Mine Lands (Inactive)	Resource Extraction	311.0
Non-Irrigated Crop Production	Agriculture	299.0
Site Clearance (Land Development Or Redevelopment)	Construction	282.5
Animal Feeding Operations (Nps)	Agriculture	232.5
Industrial Point Source Discharge	Industrial	188.3
Surface Mining	Resource Extraction	114.7
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (Collection System Failures)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	103.0
Contaminated Sediments	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	65.2
Highways, Roads, Bridges, Infrasturcture (New Construction)	Construction	56.4
Habitat Modification - Other Than Hydromodification	Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	56.4
Loss Of Riparian Habitat	Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	56.4
Landfills	Land Application/Waste Sites/Tanks	44.8
Atmospheric Deposition - Toxics	Atmospheric Deposition	43.3
Impacts From Hydrostructure Flow Regulation/Modification	Hydromodification	42.7
On-Site Treatment Systems (Septic Systems And Similar Decencentralized Systems)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	28.1
Mill Tailings	Industrial	17.5
Mine Tailings	Resource Extraction	17.5
Natural Sources	Natural/Wildlife	17.0
Historic Bottom Deposits (Not Sediment)	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	3.8

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2006

Description of this table Assessed Status Acres Assessed 173,067.0 Unassessed 317,405.0 Total Acres 490,472.0

Description of this table Attainment Status Acres Good 91,229.2 Threatened .0 Impaired 81,837.8 Total Acres Assessed 173,067.0

Description of this table TMDL Development Status Acres All TMDLs completed 28,886.7 TMDL alternative .0 Non-pollutant impairment .0 TMDL needed 52,951.1 Total Threatened and Impaired 81,837.8

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2006

* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.

Designated Use	Acres Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	159,318.8	76.7	.0	23.3
Drinking And Food Processing	80,531.3	77.2	.0	22.8
Fishing	173,067.0	53.6	.0	46.4
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	172,981.3	93.3	.0	6.7
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	161,463.0	49.8	.0	50.2

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2006

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Acres Threatened or Impaired
Phosphorus, Total	Nutrients	66,189.1
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	57,715.1
BOD, Carbonaceous	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	44,209.5
Nitrogenous BOD	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	43,682.2
pH	pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	12,702.5
Nutrient/Eutrophication Biological Indicators	Nutrients	9,249.8
Sedimentation/Siltation	Sediment	2,840.5
Mercury	Mercury	739.3
Ammonia, Total	Ammonia	527.3
DDT	Pesticides	85.7

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2006

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Acres Threatened or Impaired
Impacts From Hydrostructure Flow Regulation/Modification	Hydromodification	48,878.8
Sources Outside State Juristiction Or Borders	Other	42,329.5
Contaminated Sediments	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	32,281.9
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	22,499.2
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	12,276.8
Industrial Point Source Discharge	Industrial	12,276.8
Non-Irrigated Crop Production	Agriculture	4,201.0
Livestock (Grazing Or Feeding Operations)	Agriculture	2,300.2
Source Unknown	Unknown	2,213.5
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (Collection System Failures)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	527.3
Impacts From Abandoned Mine Lands (Inactive)	Resource Extraction	412.5
Spills From Trucks Or Trains	Spills/Dumping	412.5

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2006

Description of this table Assessed Status Square Miles Assessed 505.5 Unassessed 104.5 Total Square Miles 610.0

Description of this table Attainment Status Square Miles Good 78.7 Threatened .0 Impaired 426.8 Total Square Miles Assessed 505.5

Description of this table TMDL Development Status Square Miles All TMDLs completed 4.2 TMDL alternative .0 Non-pollutant impairment .0 TMDL needed 422.6 Total Threatened and Impaired 426.8

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2006

* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.

Designated Use	Square Miles Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	505.5	100.0	.0	.0
Fishing	505.3	100.0	.0	.0
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	490.7	100.0	.0	.0
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	484.8	100.0	.0	.0
Shellfishing	447.5	4.6	.0	95.4

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2006

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Square Miles Threatened or Impaired
Enterococcus Bacteria	Pathogens	426.8

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2006

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Square Miles Threatened or Impaired
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	376.3
On-Site Treatment Systems (Septic Systems And Similar Decencentralized Systems)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	138.8
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	18.8
Source Unknown	Unknown	1.0

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2006

Description of this table Pie chart not displayed because total size for Ocean and Near Coastal is unavailable. Assessed Status Square Miles Assessed 201.0 Unassessed Unavailable Total Square Miles Unavailable

Description of this table Attainment Status Square Miles Good .0 Threatened .0 Impaired 201.0 Total Square Miles Assessed 201.0

Description of this table TMDL Development Status Square Miles All TMDLs completed .0 TMDL alternative .0 Non-pollutant impairment .0 TMDL needed 201.0 Total Threatened and Impaired 201.0

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2006

* Waters assessed for more than one designated use are included in multiple designated use groups below.

Designated Use	Square Miles Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	201.0	100.0	.0	.0
Fishing	201.0	.0	.0	100.0
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	201.0	100.0	.0	.0
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	201.0	100.0	.0	.0
Shellfishing	201.0	.0	.0	100.0

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2006

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Square Miles Threatened or Impaired
Mercury	Mercury	201.0

Top of page

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2006

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Square Miles Threatened or Impaired
Source Unknown	Unknown	201.0

Top of page

Alabama Causes of Impairment for Reporting Year 2006

Top of page

Alabama Probable Sources Contributing to Impairments
for Reporting Year 2006

Top of page

Alabama TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment 2006

NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment " value to see a listing of those Causes of Impairment.
Cause of Impairment	Number of TMDL Alternatives	Rivers and Streams (Miles)
Zinc	3	53
Ammonia, Total	1	45
BOD, Carbonaceous	1	45
Benzo[a]pyrene (PAHs)	1	45
Copper	1	4
Cyanide	1	45
Lead	1	4

Total: 9 TMDL Alternatives

Top of page

Alabama Previously 303(d)-Listed Waters Now Attaining All Applicable Water Quality Standards

NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of Waters Attaining" value for a detailed list of those previously 303(d)-listed waters now attaining all applicable water quality standards.
Year Attaining	Number of Waters Attaining	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
2008	1	1
2011	3	3

Top of page

Alabama Causes of Impairment for 303(d) Listed Waters

NOTE: Click on a cause of impairment (e.g. pathogens) to see the specific state-reported causes that are grouped to make up this category. Click on the "Number of Causes of Impairment Reported" to see a list of waters with that cause of impairment.
Cause of Impairment Group Name	Number of Causes of Impairment Reported
Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	86
Pathogens	55
Sediment	48
Nutrients	48
Mercury	35
Metals (other than Mercury)	24
pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	13
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	9
Pesticides	7
Cause Unknown	4
Total Toxics	4
Ammonia	3
Turbidity	2
Toxic Inorganics	1
Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	1

Total: 340 Causes of Impairment

Top of page

Alabama Cumulative TMDLs by Pollutant

This chart includes TMDLs since October 1, 1995.

NOTE: Click on the underlined "Pollutant" value to see associated listed waters for which a TMDL was developed. Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs" value to see a listing of those TMDLs for the pollutant.
Pollutant	Number of TMDLs	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
Carbonaceous Bod	59	60
Fecal Coliform	48	48
Phosphorus, Total	45	61
Nitrogenous BOD	31	31
Sediment	28	31
Nitrogen, Total	18	19
Escherichia Coli (E. Coli)	15	15
NH3-N	10	12
Ammonia	5	5
Enterococcus Bacteria	5	5
Aluminum	3	3
Iron	3	3
Pathogens	3	3
Endosulfan	2	2
Methyl Parathion	2	2
pH	2	2
Atrazine	1	1
Chemical Biological Oxygen Demand 5 Day Average	1	1
Chlorpyrifos	1	1
Copper	1	1
Lead	1	1
Priority Organics - PCBs	1	1
Turbidity	1	1
Zinc	1	1

Total: 287 TMDLs; 310 Causes of Impairment Addressed

Top of page

Alabama Cumulative Number of TMDLs

EPA Fiscal Year starts October 1 and ends September 30.

NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs Completed" value for a detailed list of the TMDLs for the fiscal year.
Fiscal Year	Number of TMDLs	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
1997	20	22
2003	113	116
2004	27	27
2005	38	41
2006	4	4
2007	24	24
2008	8	9
2009	31	45
2010	5	5
2011	12	12
2012	5	5

Total: 287 TMDLs; 310 Causes of Impairment Addressed

Top of page

TMDL Document Search

Top of page

• EPA Home
• Privacy and Security Notice
• Contact Us