Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan region

Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board (LRWQCB) | December 15th, 2015

Water quality standards and control measures for surface and ground waters of the Lahontan Region are contained in the Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region

Water quality standards and control measures for surface and ground waters of the Lahontan Region are contained in the Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region (Basin Plan). The plan designates beneficial uses for water bodies and establishes water quality objectives, waste discharge prohibitions, and other implementation measures to protect those beneficial uses. State water quality standards also include a Nondegradation Policy. Water quality control measures include Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), which are often, but not always, adopted as Basin Plan amendments. See the Lahontan Water Board’s TMDL Program web page for further information. The Lahontan Basin plan took effect in 1995, replacing three earlier plans. The current edition of the plan includes fully approved sets of amendments adopted since 1995. Chapters and sections of the plan are available in separate files to facilitate downloading. In addition to the state standards in the Basin Plan, federal water quality standards for certain toxic pollutants apply to surface waters within California, including the Lahontan Region. These standards are contained in the National Toxics Rule (40 CFR 131.36) and the California Toxics Rule (40 CFR 131.37). The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has adopted a statewide implementation policy for the federal toxics standards, including summary tables listing the standards themselves. The federal standards have not yet been physically incorporated into the Basin Plan. The National Toxics Rule and California Toxics Rule standards differ from federal water quality criteria in that they are enforceable. Federal criteria are non-enforceable, science-based thresholds that can be used in development of enforceable state water quality standards. For the latest information on this water quality control plan, including any amendments, click here.

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 Control Plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Basins

Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) | November 8th, 2016

Water Quality Control Plans or “Basin Plans” provide the foundation for all Central Valley Water Board regulatory actions. Basin Plans identify beneficial uses of sur

Water Quality Control Plans or “Basin Plans” provide the foundation for all Central Valley Water Board regulatory actions. Basin Plans identify beneficial uses of surface and ground waters, water quality objectives to protect those uses, implementation actions to achieve objectives, and a monitoring and surveillance program to insure that implementation actions are effective. All actions by the Board must be compliant with the Basin Plans. The Central Valley Water Board has two Basin Plans: one for the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins and one for the Tulare Lake Basin. A public review process is conducted every three years (Triennial Review) to identify and prioritize actions needed to address water quality concerns and maintain effectiveness of the Basin Plans. Upon Board approval of the Triennial Review work plan, staff investigates water quality issues and proposes amendments to the Basin Plans for Board consideration. Amendments may range from developing site specific water quality objectives for a single constituent such as copper, to basin-wide control programs for a suite of potential pollutants such as pyrethroids, to policy recommendations and strategies for addressing emerging contaminants and/or climate change. This basin plan has many sections with many amendments, and so no attempt is made to house this document in the library.  Instead, please visit the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board's basin planning page.

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 Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin

Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) | September 29th, 2016

The Central Valley Region includes about 40% of the land in California and stretches from the Oregon border to the Kern County/Los Angeles County line. It is bound by

The Central Valley Region includes about 40% of the land in California and stretches from the Oregon border to the Kern County/Los Angeles County line. It is bound by the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the east and the Coast Range on the west. The Region is divided into three basins: the Sacramento River Basin, the San Joaquin River Basin, and the Tulare Lake Basin. This basin plan covers only the Tulare Lake Basin. The Sacramento River Basin and the San Joaquin River Basin are covered in a separate basin plan. The Tulare Lake Basin comprises the drainage area of the San Joaquin Valley south of the San Joaquin River. Note: In 1976, the U. S. Geologic Survey, the Department of Water Resources, and the State Water Resources Control Board agreed upon the hydrologic boundaries for basins within California. The agreed boundaries did not match the planning boundaries in certain cases such as between the San Joaquin River Basin and the Tulare Lake Basin. The planning boundary between the San Joaquin River Basin and the Tulare Lake Basin follows the southern watershed boundaries of the Little Panoche Creek, Moreno Gulch, and Capita Canyon to boundary of the Westlands Water District. From here, the boundary follows the northern edge of the Westlands Water District until its intersection with the Firebaugh Canal Company’s Main Lift Canal. The basin boundary then follows the Main Lift Canal to the Mendota Pool and continues eastward along the channel of the San Joaquin River to the southern boundary of the Little Dry Creek watershed (Hydrologic Subareas No. 540.70 and 545.30) and then follows along the southern boundary of the San Joaquin River drainage basin. Surface water from the Tulare Lake Basin only drains north into the San Joaquin River in years of extreme rainfall. This essentially closed basin is situated in the topographic horseshoe formed by the Diablo and Temblor Ranges on the west, by the San Emigdio and Tehachapi Mountains on the south, and by the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the east and southeast. The Basin encompasses approximately 10.5 million acres, of which approximately 3.25 million acres are in federal ownership. Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and substantial portions of Sierra, Sequoia, Inyo, and Los Padres National Forests are included in the Basin. Valley floor lands (i.e., those having a land slope of less than 200 feet per mile) make up slightly less than one-half of the total basin land area. The maximum length and width of the Basin are about 170 miles and 140 miles, respectively. This plan contains all amendments up to July of 2016.  To check for the latest version or for any new amendments, click here.

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 measurements in San Francisco Bay by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1969–2015

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | August 8th, 2017

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a place-based research program in San Francisco Bay (USA) that began in 1969 and continues, providing one of the longest reco

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a place-based research program in San Francisco Bay (USA) that began in 1969 and continues, providing one of the longest records of water-quality measurements in a North American estuary. Constituents include salinity, temperature, light extinction coefficient, and concentrations of chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, suspended particulate matter, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, silicate, and phosphate. We describe the sampling program, analytical methods, structure of the data record, and how to access all measurements made from 1969 through 2015. We provide a summary of how these data have been used by USGS and other researchers to deepen understanding of how estuaries are structured and function differently from the river and ocean ecosystems they bridge.

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 Quality Science in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Chemical Contaminants and Nutrients

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | July 26th, 2018

This review focuses on contaminants and nutrients in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta), and on how findings about them have been sometimes used and sometimes n

This review focuses on contaminants and nutrients in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta), and on how findings about them have been sometimes used and sometimes neglected in decisions related to ecosystem health in the Delta. The review considers water quality measurements made both in support of basic research and as part of routine monitoring studies in the Delta. However, the topic of monitoring per se is not comprehensively covered in this review because the Delta ISB is in the initial stages of reviewing the extensive monitoring enterprise in the Delta. This review of water quality is based on responses to a questionnaire sent to government agencies and science programs, interviews with water quality specialists and users of water quality data, relevant scientific publications, presentations observed in workshops and conferences, and public comments received on draft versions of the review. While we sought input from a broad range of stakeholders, we do not assume that we received a complete range of perceptions about this important issue. Additionally, water quality research and monitoring efforts are constantly evolving in the Delta, and several new programs and improvements were made as this review was being researched and prepared. This review should be considered to be part of an ongoing process by the Delta ISB.