South Coast

Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego region

San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (SDRWQCB) | July 26th, 2012

The San Diego Regional Board's Basin Plan is designed to preserve and enhance water quality and protect the beneficial uses of all regional waters. Specifically, the Basi

The San Diego Regional Board's Basin Plan is designed to preserve and enhance water quality and protect the beneficial uses of all regional waters. Specifically, the Basin Plan: (1) designates beneficial uses for surface and ground waters; (2) sets narrative and numerical objectives that must be attained or maintained to protect the designated beneficial uses and conform to the state's antidegradation policy; (3) describes implementation programs to protect the beneficial uses of all waters in the Region; and (4) describes surveillance and monitoring activities to evaluate the effectiveness of the Basin Plan [California Water Code sections 13240 thru 13244, and section 13050(j)]. Additionally, the Basin Plan incorporates by reference all applicable State and Regional Board plans and policies. The goal of the Regional Board is to achieve a balance between the competing needs of mankind for water of varying quality. Often times the constituents and quality of water needed to protect various beneficial uses will be different. The Basin Plan is the Regional Board's plan for achieving the balance between competing uses of surface and ground waters in the San Diego Region. Accordingly, this Basin Plan establishes or designates beneficial uses and water quality objectives for all the ground and surface waters of the Region. Beneficial uses are the uses of water necessary for the survival and well being of man, plants and wildlife. These uses of water serve to promote the tangible and intangible economic, social, and environmental goals of mankind. Water quality objectives are the levels of water quality constituents or characteristics which must be met to protect the beneficial uses. This Basin Plan also establishes an implementation program describing the actions by the Regional Board and others that are necessary to achieve and maintain the designated beneficial uses and water quality objectives of the Region's waters.

Water Quality Control Plan for the Santa Ana Region

Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) | February 11th, 2016

This document is the Basin Plan for the Santa Ana Region. The Santa Ana Regions includes the upper and lower Santa Ana River watersheds, the San Jacinto River watershed,

This document is the Basin Plan for the Santa Ana Region. The Santa Ana Regions includes the upper and lower Santa Ana River watersheds, the San Jacinto River watershed, and several other small drainage areas. The Santa Ana Region covers parts of southwestern San Bernardino County, western Riverside County, and northwestern Orange County. The Basin Plan for the Santa Ana Region is more than just a collection of water quality goals and policies, descriptions of conditions, and discussions of solutions. It is also the basis for the Regional Board’s regulatory programs. The Basin Plan establishes water quality standards for the ground and surface waters of the region. The term “water quality standards,” as used in the federal Clean Water Act, includes both the beneficial uses of specific waterbodies and the levels of quality which must be met and maintained to protect those uses. The Basin Plan includes an implementation plan describing the actions by the Regional Board and others that are necessary to achieve and maintain the water quality standards. The Regional Board regulates waste discharges to minimize and control their effects on the quality of the region’s ground and surface water. Permits are issued under a number of programs and authorities. The terms and conditions of these discharge permits are enforced through a variety of technical, administrative, and legal means. Water quality problems in the region are listed in the Basin Plan, along with the causes, where they are known. For waterbodies with quality below the levels necessary to allow all the beneficial uses of the water to be met, plans for improving water quality are included. In some cases, it has been necessary for the Regional Board to completely prohibit the discharge of certain materials. Some types of discharges are prohibited in specific areas. Details on these prohibitions also appear in the Basin Plan.

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 of Groundwater Used for Public Supply in Principal Aquifers of the Western United States

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | September 8th, 2020

Water Resilience Plan: Rapid Assessment -- Preliminary Identification of Needs and Strategies with Significant Impact on the Region’s Water

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) | May 1st, 2017

This document represents one of the items set forth in the Water Resilience Work Plan presented to the Board of Supervisors in June 2016. The Rapid Assessment pre

This document represents one of the items set forth in the Water Resilience Work Plan presented to the Board of Supervisors in June 2016. The Rapid Assessment presents some of the early findings of the research to identify the most promising approaches and related financial need. As a piece of the larger Water Resilience Plan, a first draft of which Public Works plans to present to the Board in summer 2017, the Rapid Assessment provides a targeted snapshot of the research outcomes and underscores the greatest perceived needs relevant to building regional water resilience. The context of climate change and unpredictable rainfall in Southern California has greatly diminished the reliability of imported water supplies and our ability to replenish groundwater in recent years. This new reality calls for practical, effective strategies to access significant amounts of locally available water to supplement and build resilience in the region’s water supply . Currently, the County of Los Angeles manages to capture and store enough stormwater to meet the demand of one and a half million residents each year. Research has shown that implementation of a portfolio of regional stormwater capture projects could increase this amount between two- and three-fold by ensuring the region can capitalize on less regular, more intense rain events. While other sustainable sources of water should be considered and integrated into a comprehe nsive water management strategy for the region, stormwater represents an accessible, abundant resource with limited funding opportunities. Potable and recycled water are underwritten by ratepayer revenue that also supports improvement and expansion of related infrastructure. Available funding for existing stormwater capture supports current County operations and maintenance, but is insufficient for any significant expansion. Desalination has limited dedicated funding , but relies on costly treatment options that have unclear environmental impacts for the region. Significant investment in regional stormwater capture projects would have substantial impact on local water supply while contributing to improvements in overall watershed health. Stormwater capture strategies, in particular, provide unparalleled opportunities to improve water quality and enhance communities through the integration of multi-benefit approaches. New funding opportunities will be necessary to facilitate the design, implementation, and operations of centralized projects with regional benefits.

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 and Habitat Resiliency for a Future Los Angeles River: Site-Specific Natural Enhancement Opportunities Informed by River Flow and Watershed-Wide Action

Nature Conservancy | December 15th, 2016

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. As the Conservancy engages with the Los Angeles region, they are inve

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. As the Conservancy engages with the Los Angeles region, they are investigating what it means to carry out this mission in the highly urbanized Los Angeles River ecosystem. As a starting point, it is known that the basic ecological principles of science apply to all environmental systems, regardless of their location. Therefore, the Conservancy is testing these principles by applying them in the Elysian Valley of the Los Angeles River and identifying habitat enhancement requirements, opportunities, and constraints. As a basic principle of ecological systems, a watershed’s hydrology determines the flow characteristics of its river system. These flows define what the biological characteristics of that river will be, which in turn determine what kinds of habitat enhancement projects will succeed at various locations along a river. The study of the Elysian Valley included one full year of multi-taxa biological surveys, a historical ecology investigation of the Elysian Valley, and a review of historic and existing hydrological and hydraulic conditions. Major findings of this study are: Multiple Flow Scenarios = Uncertainty: There are currently multiple visions for the flow characteristics of the Los Angeles River as a whole due to differing management priorities of the agencies and stakeholders that have governance over different aspects of this hydrologic system. Bringing the various hydrologic plans and possibilities for the watershed into a single integrated vision of system flow characteristics will allow certainty and clarity at the site level for the design of habitat projects anywhere in the River system, including the Conservancy’s study area. Flows Drive Biology: The study area currently has higher flood and much higher dry weather flow rates than its historic condition. These high flow rates are supporting and encouraging non-native and invasive species. This leads to a lower level of biological diversity and resiliency than what would exist under lower flow rates, particularly during dry weather conditions. Prioritize Complementary Habitats: Enhancing and increasing the amount of perennial riparian habitat in-stream alone will not create as much biological value as identifying complementary enhancement opportunities outside of the River channel in adjacent upper terrace floodplain and upland habitats (e.g. alluvial scrub, mulefat scrub, willow scrub, oak-sycamore woodland, sage scrub, and grassland). River Adjacent Land Use: Land uses adjacent to the River and throughout the watershed are a part of the solution and part of the Los Angeles River’s biological and hydrologic system. The landscaping and hydrology of these areas should be designed to provide a value-added role to the habitat functions of the Los Angeles River ecosystem. Next steps for advancing the discussion of habitat enhancement include working with local stakeholders and agencies to find consensus on a flow condition for the River and its Watershed as a whole. In the study area itself there are six complementary project opportunities that could be implemented in the near term to advance understanding of habitat enhancement for the Los Angeles River. These smaller, localized projects can be used as pilot projects for the complicated jurisdictional and regulatory processes that all future habitat projects will have to navigate. They will provide a manageable and controlled process that will bring the necessary agencies together to identify the most effective processes for future projects throughout the Los Angeles River ecosystem.

Water Supply Conditions in Southern California during 1958-1959, Volume II, Water Level Data, Central Coastal and Los Angeles Regions

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | May 1st, 1961