2007 Minnesota Statutes

114D.15 DEFINITIONS.
    Subdivision 1. Application. The definitions provided in this section apply to the terms
used in this chapter.
    Subd. 2. Citizen monitoring. "Citizen monitoring" means monitoring of surface water
quality by individuals and nongovernmental organizations that is consistent with section 115.06,
subdivision 4, and Pollution Control Agency guidance on monitoring procedures, quality
assurance protocols, and data management.
    Subd. 3. Clean Water Council or council. "Clean Water Council" or "council" means the
Clean Water Council created pursuant to section 114D.30, subdivision 1.
    Subd. 4. Federal TMDL requirements. "Federal TMDL requirements" means the
requirements of section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, United States Code, title 33, section
1313(d), and associated regulations and guidance.
    Subd. 5. Impaired water. "Impaired water" means surface water that does not meet
applicable water quality standards.
    Subd. 6. Public agencies. "Public agencies" means all state agencies, political subdivisions,
joint powers organizations, and special purpose units of government with authority, responsibility,
or expertise in protecting, restoring, or preserving the quality of surface waters, managing or
planning for surface waters and related lands, or financing waters-related projects. Public agencies
includes the University of Minnesota and other public education institutions.
    Subd. 7. Restoration. "Restoration" means actions, including effectiveness monitoring, that
are taken to achieve and maintain water quality standards for impaired waters in accordance
with a TMDL that has been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
under federal TMDL requirements.
    Subd. 8. Surface waters. "Surface waters" means waters of the state as defined in section
115.01, subdivision 22, excluding groundwater as defined in section 115.01, subdivision 6.
    Subd. 9. Third-party TMDL. "Third-party TMDL" means a TMDL by the Pollution
Control Agency that is developed in whole or in part by a qualified public agency other than the
Pollution Control Agency consistent with the goals, policies, and priorities in section 114D.20.
    Subd. 10. Total maximum daily load or TMDL. "Total maximum daily load" or "TMDL"
means a scientific study that contains a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that
may be introduced into a surface water and still ensure that applicable water quality standards
for that water are restored and maintained. A TMDL also is the sum of the pollutant load
allocations for all sources of the pollutant, including a wasteload allocation for point sources,
a load allocation for nonpoint sources and natural background, an allocation for future growth
of point and nonpoint sources, and a margin of safety to account for uncertainty about the
relationship between pollutant loads and the quality of the receiving surface water. "Natural
background" means characteristics of the water body resulting from the multiplicity of factors in
nature, including climate and ecosystem dynamics, that affect the physical, chemical, or biological
conditions in a water body, but does not include measurable and distinguishable pollution that is
attributable to human activity or influence. A TMDL must take into account seasonal variations.
    Subd. 11. TMDL implementation plan. "TMDL implementation plan" means a document
detailing restoration activities needed to meet the approved TMDL's pollutant load allocations for
point and nonpoint sources.
    Subd. 12. Water quality standards. "Water quality standards" for Minnesota surface waters
are found in Minnesota Rules, chapters 7050 and 7052.
History: 2006 c 251 s 4