Excessive erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment in surface waters is a major problem in the United States. The 1996 National Water Quality Inventory (Section 305(b) Report to Congress) indicates that sediments are ranked as a leading cause of water-quality impairment of assessed rivers and lakes. Impairment by sediment can be separated into problems resulting from chemical constituents adsorbed onto the surface of fine-grained sediments (sediment quality), problems resulting from sediment quantities (clean sediment) irrespective of adsorbed constituents, and alteration of substrate (bed material) by erosion or deposition. The maximum allowable loadings to, or in a stream or waterbody that does not impair designated uses has been termed the TMDL (total maximum daily load). A national strategy is needed to develop scientifically defensible procedures to facilitate the development of TMDLs for clean sediment in streams and rivers of the United States. Click here for the entire report