208 Regional Water Quality Plan

Background

The TMACOG Areawide Water Quality Management Plan is a comprehensive document created under the structure of the Clean Water Act of 1972. It is a statement on behalf of our region (Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood counties in Ohio and Bedford, Erie, and Whiteford townships of Monroe County in Michigan) as to what we — all of us — will do to meet the goals of the Clean Water Act.

This document is called a 208 Plan because Areawide Water Quality Management Planning comes from Section 208 of the Act. In Ohio, there are six Areawide agencies that maintain 208 Plans for regions around major cities. All six of these Areawide Plans are part of the Ohio’s State-wide Water Quality Management Plan.

TMACOG’s 208 Plan is updated annually in cooperation with all the planning areas and management agencies in the region. It is modified to remain current with changes in environmental law and regulation, and with regard to information on the region’s water quality and local infrastructure needs. The most recent version approved by the TMACOG Board of Trustees is available below.

For more information on coordinating the 208 Plan, contact TMACOG Planner Matt Kennedy: kennedy@tmacog.org.

Areawide Water Quality Management Plan: all 8 chapters

• Chapter 1 - Areawide Overview
• Chapter 2 - Description of Planning Area
• Chapter 3 - Water Quality Policies
• Chapter 4 - Water Quality Management Framework
• Chapter 5 - Public Wastewater Treatment
• Chapter 6 - On-Site Sewage Treatment
• Chapter 7 - Agricultural, Drainage, and Habitat
• Chapter 8 - Stormwater Management
• Appendix A - Summary of Ohio and Michigan Integrated Reports

Ohio and 208: An Ohio EPA Story Map Regarding 208 Water Quality Management

Ohio Association of Regional Councils' Areawide Water Quality Committee took the lead on creating a story map highlighting the important role of 208 plans in Ohio. This story map features information, interviews, and history of the 208 Regional Water Quality Plan. Follow the link below to take a visual journey from its introduction in the 1972 Clean Water Act to how it is currently used in protecting the integrity of Ohio's water.

Learn more