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.