Draft BMAP Released for Caloosahatchee Estuary

Image: Land Use in the Caloosahatchee Estuary Basin

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Caloosahatchee Estuary Basin Technical Stakeholders group have released a draft version of a Basin Management Action Plan for the Caloosahatchee River and its watersheds.

A BMAP is the "blueprint" for restoring impaired waters by reducing pollutant loadings to meet the allowable loadings established in a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). It represents a comprehensive set of strategies--permit limits on wastewater facilities, urban and agricultural best management practices, conservation programs, financial assistance and revenue generating activities, etc.—designed to implement the pollutant reductions established by the TMDL. These broad-based plans are developed with local stakeholders—they rely on local input and local commitment--and they are adopted by Secretarial Order to be enforceable.

For additional information on Total Maximum Daily Loads and the watershed management approach in the Caloosahatchee River Basin, or to provide comments, contact Beth Alvi at FDEP.