So here's the status of the temperature TMDL. The EPA, working with a whole school of groups (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Spokane Tribe of Indians and other federal and local agencies and interested parties) has completed a DRAFT TMDL for the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The TMDL mathematically allocates how much the temperature needs to be reduced at each source to help meet water quality standards.

Because of the challenges managers and scientists face when trying to reduce temperature, EPA has started to develop (with everyone who is interested) a DRAFT Summary Implementation Strategy. EPA is planning to develop the TMDLs and the Implementation Strategy iteratively, which means they will work on them together and modify each as they learn new information.