Alabama Water Quality Assessment Report

Assessed Waters of Alabama by Watershed

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Features

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Summary Results

Alabama (2010)

	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)	Bays and Estuaries (Square Miles)	Ocean and Near Coastal (Square Miles)
	Size of Water
Good Waters	7,852.6	324,671.2	110.2
Previously impaired waters now attaining all uses	55.7
Threatened Waters
TMDL completed
TMDL alternative
Non-pollutant impairment
TMDL needed
Impaired Waters	3,060.8	109,089.4	463.7	201.0
TMDL completed	915.9	43,345.1	8.7
TMDL alternative	48.8
Non-pollutant impairment	22.8
TMDL needed	2,073.3	65,744.3	455.0	201.0
New TMDLs completed	44.0	.0	.0	.0
Remaining TMDLs needed	2,029.3	65,744.3	455.0	201.0

Total Assessed Waters	10,913.4	433,760.6	573.9	201.0
Total Waters	77,242.0	490,472.0	610.0	Unavailable
Percent of Waters Assessed	14.1	88.4	94.1	Unavailable

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Summary of Water Quality Assessments for Each Waterbody Type
for Reporting Year 2010

Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Rivers and Streams 2010

Description of this table

Assessed Status	Miles

Assessed	10,913.4
Unassessed	66,328.6
Total Miles	77,242.0

Description of this table

Attainment Status	Miles

Good	7,852.6
Threatened	.0
Impaired	3,060.8
Total Miles Assessed	10,913.4

Description of this table

TMDL Development Status	Miles

All TMDLs completed	959.9
TMDL alternative	48.8
Non-pollutant impairment	22.8
TMDL needed	2,029.3
Total Threatened and Impaired	3,060.8

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Rivers and Streams 2010

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

Description of this table

Designated Use	Miles Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	7,829.3	85.5	.0	14.5
Drinking And Food Processing	770.9	96.7	.0	3.3
Fishing	10,888.1	75.6	.0	24.4
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	10,904.4	96.2	.0	3.8
Outstanding Alabama Water	270.1	67.1	.0	32.9
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	7,633.5	70.7	.0	29.3

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Rivers and Streams 2010

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Miles Threatened or Impaired
Sedimentation/Siltation	Sediment	1,148.0
Fecal Coliform	Pathogens	891.8
BOD, Carbonaceous	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	827.2
Mercury	Mercury	810.6
Phosphorus, Total	Nutrients	591.0
Nitrogenous BOD	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	590.0
Ammonia, Total	Ammonia	288.8
Nitrogen, Total	Nutrients	192.7
Turbidity	Turbidity	127.2
Iron	Metals (other than Mercury)	114.8
Aluminum	Metals (other than Mercury)	72.4
Zinc	Metals (other than Mercury)	61.7
Cyanide	Toxic Inorganics	57.0
pH	pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	52.8
Methyl Parathion	Pesticides	50.7
Endosulfan	Pesticides	50.7
Benzo[a]pyrene (PAHs)	Toxic Organics	44.6
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	42.2
Lead	Metals (other than Mercury)	38.9
Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)	Total Toxics	38.5
Chromium, Trivalent	Metals (other than Mercury)	29.2
Cause Unknown	Cause Unknown	26.9
Dieldrin	Pesticides	24.3
Chlorpyrifos	Pesticides	23.4
Atrazine	Pesticides	23.4
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)	Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	22.5
Dissolved Oxygen	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	19.6
Arsenic	Metals (other than Mercury)	19.6
DDT	Pesticides	18.8
Copper	Metals (other than Mercury)	11.7
Enterococcus Bacteria	Pathogens	8.7
Other Flow Regime Alterations	Flow Alteration(s)	3.2
Chloride	Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	.2

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Rivers and Streams 2010

Description of this table

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Miles Threatened or Impaired
Livestock (Grazing Or Feeding Operations)	Agriculture	812.2
Atmospheric Deposition - Toxics	Atmospheric Deposition	786.5
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	614.6
Agriculture	Agriculture	587.9
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	394.3
Impacts From Abandoned Mine Lands (Inactive)	Resource Extraction	307.8
Non-Irrigated Crop Production	Agriculture	302.8
Site Clearance (Land Development Or Redevelopment)	Construction	297.0
Animal Feeding Operations (Nps)	Agriculture	232.3
Industrial Point Source Discharge	Industrial	223.2
Surface Mining	Resource Extraction	128.1
Source Unknown	Unknown	122.5
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (Collection System Failures)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	118.8
Contaminated Sediments	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	65.2
Residential Districts	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	56.6
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
Highways, Roads, Bridges, Infrastructure (New Construction)	Construction	56.4
Landfills	Land Application/Waste Sites/Tanks	44.8
Impacts From Hydrostructure Flow Regulation/Modification	Hydromodification	39.4
Sources Outside State Jurisdiction Or Borders	Other	30.8
On-Site Treatment Systems (Septic Systems And Similar Decentralized Systems)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	29.3
Mill Tailings	Industrial	17.5
Mine Tailings	Resource Extraction	17.5
Natural Sources	Natural/Wildlife	17.0
Wet Weather Discharges (Non-Point Source)	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	4.6
Historic Bottom Deposits (Not Sediment)	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	3.8

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2010

Description of this table

Assessed Status	Acres

Assessed	433,760.6
Unassessed	56,711.4
Total Acres	490,472.0

Description of this table

Attainment Status	Acres

Good	324,671.2
Threatened	.0
Impaired	109,089.4
Total Acres Assessed	433,760.6

Description of this table

TMDL Development Status	Acres

All TMDLs completed	43,345.1
TMDL alternative	.0
Non-pollutant impairment	.0
TMDL needed	65,744.3
Total Threatened and Impaired	109,089.4

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2010

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

Description of this table

Designated Use	Acres Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	426,789.5	86.3	.0	13.7
Drinking And Food Processing	176,328.3	80.9	.0	19.1
Fishing	433,760.6	74.9	.0	25.1
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	433,760.6	99.4	.0	.6
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	429,496.0	80.2	.0	19.8

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2010

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Acres Threatened or Impaired
Phosphorus, Total	Nutrients	77,605.8
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	57,715.1
Mercury	Mercury	29,960.5
BOD, Carbonaceous	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	6,629.5
Nitrogenous BOD	Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	4,133.8
Sedimentation/Siltation	Sediment	2,840.5
Nitrogen, Total	Nutrients	2,291.9
pH	pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	1,569.2
Iron	Metals (other than Mercury)	554.3
Ammonia, Total	Ammonia	527.3
DDT	Pesticides	85.7

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds 2010

Description of this table

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Acres Threatened or Impaired
Impacts From Hydrostructure Flow Regulation/Modification	Hydromodification	58,712.6
Sources Outside State Jurisdiction Or Borders	Other	50,019.3
Contaminated Sediments	Legacy/Historical Pollutants	32,281.9
Atmospheric Deposition - Toxics	Atmospheric Deposition	29,874.8
Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers	Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	22,499.2
Industrial Point Source Discharge	Industrial	12,276.8
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	12,276.8
Dam Or Impoundment	Hydromodification	4,435.9
Non-Irrigated Crop Production	Agriculture	4,201.0
Livestock (Grazing Or Feeding Operations)	Agriculture	2,300.2
Agriculture	Agriculture	1,462.6
Source Unknown	Unknown	1,435.1
Surface Mining	Resource Extraction	554.3
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

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2010

Description of this table

Assessed Status	Square Miles

Assessed	573.9
Unassessed	36.1
Total Square Miles	610.0

Description of this table

Attainment Status	Square Miles

Good	110.2
Threatened	.0
Impaired	463.7
Total Square Miles Assessed	573.9

Description of this table

TMDL Development Status	Square Miles

All TMDLs completed	8.7
TMDL alternative	.0
Non-pollutant impairment	.0
TMDL needed	455.0
Total Threatened and Impaired	463.7

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2010

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

Description of this table

Designated Use	Square Miles Assessed	Percent Good	Percent Threatened	Percent Impaired	% Good
					% Threatened
					% Impaired
Contact Recreation	573.9	77.2	.0	22.8
Fishing	573.7	83.7	.0	16.3
Industrial And Agriculture Uses	559.3	83.2	.0	16.8
Propagation Of Fish And Wildlife	553.2	83.1	.0	16.9
Shellfishing	447.5	4.6	.0	95.4

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2010

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment	Cause of Impairment Group	Square Miles Threatened or Impaired
Enterococcus Bacteria	Pathogens	463.7
Thallium	Metals (other than Mercury)	93.7

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Bays and Estuaries 2010

Description of this table

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 Decentralized Systems)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	138.8
Industrial Point Source Discharge	Industrial	93.7
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (Collection System Failures)	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	36.9
Municipal Point Source Discharges	Municipal Discharges/Sewage	18.8
Source Unknown	Unknown	1.0

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2010

Description of this table

Assessed Status	Square Miles
Pie chart not displayed because total size for Ocean and Near Coastal is unavailable.
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

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Individual Designated Use Support
Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2010

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

Description of this table

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

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Causes of Impairment
Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2010

Description of this table

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

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Site-specific Targeted Monitoring Results

Probable Sources
Alabama Ocean and Near Coastal 2010

Description of this table

Probable Source	Probable Source Group	Square Miles Threatened or Impaired
Atmospheric Deposition - Toxics	Atmospheric Deposition	201.0

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Alabama Causes of Impairment for Reporting Year 2010

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment Group	Size of Assessed Waters with Listed Causes of Impairment
NOTE: Click on the underlined Cause of Impairment Group to see a list of specific state causes of impairment making up the Cause of Impairment Group. See also Pollution categories summary document (PDF) (20 pp, 557K, About PDF) for brief, non-technical descriptions of general cause categories.
Cause of Impairment Group	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)	Bays and Estuaries (Square Miles)	Ocean and Near Coastal (Square Miles)
Ammonia	288.8	527.3
Cause Unknown	26.9
Flow Alteration(s)	3.2
Mercury	810.6	29,960.5		201.0
Metals (other than Mercury)	233.4	554.3	93.7
Nutrients	591.0	77,605.8
Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	846.8	6,629.5
Pathogens	900.5		463.7
Pesticides	93.8	85.7
pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	52.8	1,569.2
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	42.2	57,715.1
Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	22.7
Sediment	1,148.0	2,840.5
Total Toxics	38.5
Toxic Inorganics	57.0
Toxic Organics	44.6
Turbidity	127.2

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Alabama Probable Sources Contributing to Impairments
for Reporting Year 2010

Description of this table

Probable Source Group	Size of Assessed Waters with Probable Sources of Impairments
NOTE: Click on the underlined Probable Source Group to see a list of specific state Probable Sources making up the Probable Source Group.
Probable Source Group	Rivers and Streams (Miles)	Lakes, Reservoirs, and Ponds (Acres)	Bays and Estuaries (Square Miles)	Ocean and Near Coastal (Square Miles)
Agriculture	1,325.5	6,190.8
Atmospheric Deposition	786.5	29,874.8		201.0
Construction	297.0
Habitat Alterations (Not Directly Related To Hydromodification)	56.4
Hydromodification	39.4	58,712.6
Industrial	228.1	12,276.8	93.7
Land Application/Waste Sites/Tanks	44.8
Legacy/Historical Pollutants	69.0	32,281.9
Municipal Discharges/Sewage	498.8	12,276.8	194.5
Natural/Wildlife	17.0
Other	30.8	50,019.3
Resource Extraction	435.9	966.8
Spills/Dumping		412.5
Unknown	122.5	1,435.1	1.0
Urban-Related Runoff/Stormwater	675.8	22,499.2	376.3

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Alabama TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment 2010

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment	Number of TMDL Alternatives	Rivers and Streams (Miles)
NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of TMDL Alternatives by Cause of Impairment " value to see a listing of those Causes of Impairment.
Zinc	2	49
Ammonia, Total	1	45
BOD, Carbonaceous	1	45
Benzo[a]pyrene (PAHs)	1	45
Cyanide	1	45

Total: 6 TMDL Alternatives

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

Description of this table

Year Attaining	Number of Waters Attaining	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
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.
2008	1	1
2011	3	3

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Alabama Causes of Impairment for 303(d) Listed Waters

Description of this table

Cause of Impairment Group Name	Number of Causes of Impairment Reported
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.
Mercury	70
Sediment	63
Organic Enrichment/Oxygen Depletion	58
Pathogens	35
Nutrients	29
Metals (other than Mercury)	27
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)	10
pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions	6
Pesticides	6
Total Toxics	5
Ammonia	4
Salinity/Total Dissolved Solids/Chlorides/Sulfates	3
Turbidity	3
Cause Unknown	1
Toxic Inorganics	1

Total: 321 Causes of Impairment

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Alabama Cumulative TMDLs by Pollutant

This chart includes TMDLs since October 1, 1995.

Description of this table

Pollutant	Number of TMDLs	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
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.
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

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Alabama Cumulative Number of TMDLs

EPA Fiscal Year starts October 1 and ends September 30.

Description of this table

Fiscal Year	Number of TMDLs	Number of Causes of Impairment Addressed
NOTE: Click on the underlined "Number of TMDLs Completed" value for a detailed list of the TMDLs for the fiscal year.
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

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TMDL Document Search

Full Text Search of TMDL Documents

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