Photo by Bill Green Tom Thornton, a technical review coordinator with the Maryland Department of the Environment, speaks to a packed room about water quality in local watersheds.

All are watersheds determined by the Maryland Department of the Environment to be polluted with unacceptable levels of phosphorous.

At the discussion's center was Total Maximum Daily Load -- an estimate of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can tolerate without violating water quality standards.

The main focus of the meeting was to address water quality in the four local watersheds, not the Chesapeake Bay, said Tom Thornton, a technical review coordinator with the environmental department. The bay's water quality measurement, being developed in conjunction with other states, will be available in draft form in August, he said.

Excess fertilizer or wastewater may interact with and affect the watersheds' biological communities. The goal is to eliminate excessive phosphorous, said Ross Mandel, associate director of watershed analysis with the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

"We're addressing problems of aquatic life in smaller tributaries, not the Monocacy River," Mandel said. "A body of water that supports aquatic life has to pass a certain threshold. We're asking the watersheds to pass a relatively low bar, not a high bar."

Mandel said the goal for their work on local waterways is to be compatible with the Chesapeake Bay's measurement for pollutants. He hoped an analysis of the local watersheds will be complete in 2010.

Several farmers were concerned they would be seen as responsible for any water problems.

"It sounds to me that farmers are being targeted," Monrovia farmer Evelyn Wilcom said. "It sounds like agriculture is the big culprit here. Is that correct?"

"I don't think anyone at MDE made that claim," Thornton said.

"I'm not shooting the messenger but at the same time agriculture is having a really tough time right now. We're the No. 1 industry in Maryland but once again I just feel we're being put in a bad position," Wilcom said.

Farmers spend a lot of money on nutrient management programs. In contrast, homeowners can buy and apply as much fertilizer they want just because they want a green lawn, Emmitsburg farmer William Morrow said.

Farmers are more heavily regulated than homeowners, but part of the program is to educate them about fertilizer use, said Shannon Moore, project manager for Frederick County's watershed management section.

Moore said she has many questions that have not been answered about how these regulations will affect the county government and its operations.

"But I don't know if they are answerable yet," Moore said. "I thought the meeting gave people an opportunity to learn more about how the state creates pollution limits in water bodies. They have a lot of work to do before they can explain how these limits will affect landowners and people who hold environmental permits. That's what people are most anxious to hear. But the communication lines are open and that is important."

Lisa Gaver owns and operates Gaver Tree Farm with her husband in Mount Airy.

"We are farming in an important food shed and this is a critical issue hanging over everything we do in the food and agriculture industry, so our concerns are many," Gaver said after the meeting.

She questions whether Total Maximum Daily Load requirements will be fair, and if the model will reflect up-to-date practices and accurate animal population data. She also wonders if her business will be credited for the environmental practices it has in place already.

"Will all states be required to report all voluntary practices and raw source data before TMDL are defined? Will new regulations expand to other sources like turf and urban runoff? Will requirements stick to the facts and be based on science?" she asked.

Frederick County Farm Bureau President Tom Browning called the meeting a good first step.

"Frankly, I think it raised more questions than answers. TMDLs are very complicated. I saw a lot of heads looking quizzically at some of what they were hearing," Browning said.

With a number of water quality issues on the way, Thornton said it was good to see so many attend the discussion. MDE is responsible for shepherding TMDL review, from the local level to the Environmental Protection Agency, he said.

The MDE's Total Maximum Daily Load review of local watersheds, which is in its early stage, will be followed by several analyses by agencies within the state; a preliminary examination by the EPA; stakeholder/public critique before submission to the EPA for review and approval, Thornton said. Public comments will be submitted to the EPA as well.