Lake Tohopekaliga—An Alternative Approach to Total Maximum Daily Loads

Lake Tohopekaliga is a 22,000-acre lake located within Osceola County in Central Florida. Lake Tohopekaliga has a long history of management activities that have altered the lake's natural hydrology and water quality over time. The lake was placed on the State of Florida's List of Impaired Waters in November 2010 for nutrients. Osceola County and the City of Kissimmee initially disagreed with the assessment through their own independent analysis. As a result, because Lake Tohopekaliga is a macrophyte-dominated lake (i.e., Hydrilla), the State of Florida acknowledged the assessment and was willing to reconsider the listing based on a macrophyte impairment and not develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the lake. As part of the agreement with the State, the City and the County would need to provide assurance that proactive nutrient reductions (source controls) are taking place within the watershed while the lake dynamics are better understood and appropriate water quality targets can be developed. This paper describes the proactive process local stakeholders elected to develop a Nutrient Reduction Plan to satisfy the State of Florida's request. This decision allows lake interests and managers to avoid a reactive regulatory process (i.e., a TMDL) and to work toward solving the question of how water quality fits into the overall management of this lake.