North Coast

Water Features of the Smith River Plain, Del Norte County, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 1st, 1957

Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB) | May 1st, 2011

The basic purpose of the state's basin planning effort is to determine the future direction of water quality control for protection of California's waters. The goal of

The basic purpose of the state's basin planning effort is to determine the future direction of water quality control for protection of California's waters. The goal of this Basin Plan is to provide a definitive program of actions designed to preserve and enhance water quality and to protect beneficial uses of water in the North Coast Region. The plan is concerned with all factors and activities which might affect water quality. It emphasizes, however, actions to be taken by the State Water Board and the Regional Water Board since they have primary responsibility for maintenance of water quality in the North Coast Region. This Basin Plan is comprehensive in scope. It contains a brief description of the North Coast Region, and describes its water quality and quantity problems and the present and potential beneficial uses of the surface and ground waters within the Region. The water quality objectives contained in the plan are prescribed for the purposes of protecting the beneficial uses. The Implementation Plans section describes the measures, which include specific prohibitions, action plans, and policies which form the basis for the control of water quality. Statewide plans and policies are included as well as a description of Regional Water Board surveillance and monitoring activities. The plan contains provisions for public participation, complies with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, and establishes a setting and the framework for the development of discharger regulation. Basin plans complement and may be more stringent than water quality control plans and policies adopted by the State Water Board, such as the "Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California" and the "Water Quality Control Policy for the Enclosed Bays and Estuaries of California". Provisions of State Water Board plans supersede basin plans; however, the same state plans may allow for site-specific objectives and exceptions in order to meet localized needs and circumstances. This Basin Plan is used as a regulatory tool by the Regional Water Board's technical staff. Regional Water Board orders cite the Basin Plan's water quality standards and prohibitions applicable to a particular discharge. The Basin Plan also is used by other agencies in their permitting and resource management activities. It also serves as an educational and reference document for staff, dischargers and members of the public. To check for any updates or amendments since this document was loaded into the library, please check the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Plan's basin plan page.

Water quality for agriculture

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) | July 15th, 1985

Water Quality in Basin-Fill Aquifers of the Southwestern United States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, 1993–2009

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 15th, 2014

Water Quality in California

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | February 23rd, 2026

Water Resources Data for California, Water year 1983, Volume 2, Pacific Slope Basins from Arroyo Grande to Oregon State Line except Central Valley

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 15th, 1985

Water resources data for the 1983 water year for California consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents in lakes and reservo

Water resources data for the 1983 water year for California consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents in lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells. Volume 2 contains discharge records for 145 gaging stations; stage and contents for 19 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 17 stations; water levels for 67 observation wells. Also included are 2 low-flow partial-record stations and 18 water-quality partial-record stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in California.

Water Right Exactions

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) | May 15th, 2023

Water shortages worsened by reservoir effects

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | November 13th, 2018

The expansion of reservoirs to cope with droughts and water shortages is hotly debated in many places around the world. We argue that there are two counterintuiti

The expansion of reservoirs to cope with droughts and water shortages is hotly debated in many places around the world. We argue that there are two counterintuitive dynamics that should be considered in this debate: supply–demand cycles and reservoir effects. Supply–demand cycles describe instances where increasing water supply enables higher water demand, which can quickly offset the initial benefits of reservoirs. Reservoir effects refer to cases where over-reliance on reservoirs increases vulnerability, and therefore increases the potential damage caused by droughts. Here we illustrate these counterintuitive dynamics with global and local examples, and discuss policy and research implications.

Water Supply in the Conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, Water Years 2010–20, Chapter B of U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 17th, 2025

The following are the key points of this chapter: Throughout much of the Great Plains and Northeast through Midwest aggregated hydrologic regions, low precipitation

The following are the key points of this chapter: Throughout much of the Great Plains and Northeast through Midwest aggregated hydrologic regions, low precipitation totals in water years 2011 and 2012 resulted in low streamflow, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture, associated with one of the most substantial droughts since the 1930s. The highest interannual variability in precipitation was in the California–Nevada, Texas, Southern High Plains, and Southwest Desert hydrologic regions, whereas the lowest interannual variability was in the Florida, Tennessee–Missouri, and Northeast hydrologic regions. Among the Western aggregated hydrologic region, where snow is critical for water availability, the California–Nevada hydrologic region had the highest interannual variability in maximum snow accumulation with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.60, whereas the Columbia–Snake, Pacific Northwest, and Central Rockies hydrologic regions all had a CV of less than 0.36. Six of 29 unconfined and 6 of 23 confined principal and regional aquifer systems had current water-level percentiles (median 2010–20) of less than 30 percent of historical water levels (that is, median 2000–20 water levels) including the California Coastal Basin aquifers, the Colorado Plateaus aquifers, and the Central and Southern regions of the High Plains aquifer. Hydrologic regions with low precipitation and little storage coincide with aquifer systems that have shown a decline in groundwater levels during water years 2010–20, including the Southern High Plains, Central High Plains, and Texas hydrologic regions. Companion chapters: U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20, Chapter A Status of Water-Quality Conditions in the United States, 2010–20, Chapter C  Water Use Across the Conterminous United States, Water Years 2010–20, Chapter D  Climate Change and Future Water Availability in the United States, Chapter E  Integrated Water Availability in the Conterminous United States, 2010–20, Chapter F 

Water Use in California

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | April 19th, 2023