Pollution Control Water Quality Status

Water Quality Impairments

A watershed is determined to be impaired if it is not meeting applicable water quality standards (Florida Administrative Code 62-302). This assessment, known as the Impaired Waters Rule (IWR) assessment (Florida Administrative Code 62-303), is conducted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) every two years beginning in 2021. Prior to this, IWR assessments were conducted every 5 years. Collier County currently has 21 WBIDs (Water Body IDentification) out of 57 that are impaired for various parameters. That means that 21 WBIDs are failing to meet a specific water quality standard. Some water bodies are impaired for more than one parameter. Click on the map below to see the impaired water bodies. Once a water body has been determined to be impaired, the FDEP will then establish a Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) which limits the amount of the pollutant causing impairment that can be discharged into the water body. Statewide TMDL development is prioritized using FDEP's priority framework document.

Find out if your watershed is impaired

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is the amount of a specific pollutant allowed to be discharged into a water body while still allowing the water body to meet state water quality standards.

Collier County has four WBIDs that have TMDLs. Lake Trafford, Cocohatchee River, and Gordon River Extension were set in 2008. Townsend Canal TMDL was developed in 2019.

The Gordon River WBID has a TMDL for dissolved oxygen for which Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has listed nutrients as the cause of the impairment. A total nitrogen (0.74 mg/l) limit has been established by the adopted TMDL based on concentrations in the water column.

The Cocohatchee River WBID has a TMDL for fecal coliform. The TMDL requires a 65% reduction of fecal coliform from nonpoint sources.

The Lake Trafford has TMDLs for three parameters—nutrients, unionized ammonia and dissolved oxygen. The TMDL requires a nutrient reduction of 60% total nitrogen and 77% total phosphorus. The assumption is made that if these load reductions are met, that dissolved oxygen and unionized ammonia will respond positively.

Townsend Canal has a TMDLs for total nitrogen, total phosphorus and biochemical oxygen demand. These TMDLs require a 37% reduction in total nitrogen, a 38% reduction in total phosphorus, and a 37% reduction in biochemical oxygen demand.

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Once a TMDL is adopted, the next step would be to develop a Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP).

Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP)

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. Currently, Collier County has only one BMAP. The Caloosahatchee River and Estuary BMAP includes a small portion of the Townsend Canal located in northern Collier County, north of Lake Trafford.

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