Who: Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)

What: Public meeting about the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Otter Creek watershed in Vigo, Clay and Parke counties

When: 6 p.m. (local time), Thursday, January 17, 2013

Where: Vigo County Annex Building, 127 Oak Street, Terre Haute, IN 47807

On the Web: www.watersheds.IN.gov/2347.htm

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) will be developing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Otter Creek watershed in Vigo, Clay and Parke counties. As part of the process, IDEM is holding a public meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, January 17, 2013, at the Vigo County Annex Building, 127 Oak Street, Terre Haute.

Citizens who attend this week’s kickoff meeting will learn more about water quality data for Otter Creek watershed and the next steps in the TMDL process, which includes community involvement and investigating watershed impairments.

TMDL is the term for a calculation to determine the maximum amount of pollutants, or pollutant load, a stream can receive and not violate state water quality standards. A TMDL document for a watershed may contain TMDL calculations for one or more streams within the watershed.

IDEM plans to develop an E. coli Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the entire Otter Creek watershed based on water samples from several area streams showing violations of the standard for E. coli. E. coli is a bacteria found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, and its presence in streams and lakes indicates the overall sanitary quality of soil and water environments.

Common sources of water pollution include contaminated storm water run-off from residential, business and agricultural areas; wild and domestic animal waste; manure from feedlots; and leaking and failing septic systems.

More information about addressing water pollution and developing TMDLs is available on the IDEM website at www.watersheds.IN.gov.

About IDEM

IDEM (www.idem.IN.gov) implements federal and state regulations regarding the environment. Through compliance assistance, incentive programs and educational outreach, the agency encourages and aids businesses and citizens in protecting Hoosiers and our environment.