AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DEVELOPING A WATERSHED TRADING PROGRAM ON THE TRUCKEE RIVER: ADDRESSING TECHNICAL AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS

This paper presents the preliminary findings, conclusions, and recommendations for the development of a pollutant load trading program and the modification of the existing nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorous) and TDS TMDLs and waste load allocations (WLAs) on the Truckee River, Nevada. The State of Nevada's Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) listed the Truckee River on their 1988 303(d) list and established TMDLs for total nitrogen, total phosphorous, and TDS on the Nevada side of the River. Because of the TMDL process, the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (TMWRF) had WLAs incorporated into their NPDES permit, which resulted in potential restrictions on planned growth. In order to accommodate for planned growth and to meet water quality objectives, a water quality trading program to develop “watershed offsets” is being implemented. The development of the trading program includes establishing the technical basis for modifying the TMDLs and WLAs and identifying the optimum mix of structural and nonstructural projects and programs to be implemented. This involves the development of watershed and water quality models. A Coordinated Monitoring Program to assess baseline conditions and to monitor water quality is also being implemented.