Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board

Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
Name	Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
Formation	1949
Jurisdiction	California Central Valley
Headquarters	Sacramento, California
Parent agency	California State Water Resources Control Board

Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is a regional office charged with implementing Clean Water Act and Porter–Cologne Water Quality Control Act requirements across California's Central Valley. The board develops water quality standards and issues permits affecting the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, San Joaquin Valley, and coastal waters linked to the valley, collaborating with state and federal entities such as the California Environmental Protection Agency, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and local county governments in California. Its mission emphasizes protecting public health, sustaining aquatic ecosystems, and supporting agriculture in California and urban communities.

Overview and Mission

The board's mission aligns with statutes and policies including the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Porter–Cologne Water Quality Control Act, coordinating with the California State Water Resources Control Board, United States Environmental Protection Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Water Resources, and regional California Air Resources Board initiatives. It issues basin plans, water quality objectives, and regulatory guidance affecting the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, Yolo Bypass, Tulare Lake Basin, and tributaries such as the Feather River and Stanislaus River to protect beneficial uses like municipal supply, agricultural supply, and fisheries managed under laws like the Endangered Species Act.

Jurisdiction and Organizational Structure

The board's jurisdiction covers the watersheds of the Central Valley including the Sacramento River Valley and San Joaquin Valley, extending from the Sierra Nevada to the Coast Ranges and involving counties such as Sacramento County, California, Fresno County, California, Kern County, California, and San Joaquin County, California. Organizationally it operates under the California Environmental Protection Agency umbrella and reports to the California State Water Resources Control Board, with regional offices, a Board Chair, executive officer, divisions for permitting, enforcement, monitoring, and a counsel office that coordinates with entities like the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation. Advisory roles include interactions with the Delta Stewardship Council, Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and nonprofit stakeholders such as the Nature Conservancy and Sierra Club.

Regulatory Programs and Authorities

Regulatory authority derives from federal and state statutes including the Clean Water Act (notably Sections 303 and 402), Porter–Cologne Water Quality Control Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Program areas encompass National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, waste discharge requirements, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) development for impaired water bodies on the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list, and oversight of dredge-and-fill activities coordinated with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The board implements TMDLs for systems such as the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and addresses contaminants including salts, selenium, mercury, and nutrients listed under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards discussions and state toxics control policies.

Permitting and Enforcement Actions

Permitting functions include issuing NPDES permits for municipal wastewater treatment plants in cities like Sacramento, California and Stockton, California, and conditional waivers for agricultural discharges in regions such as the San Joaquin Valley. Enforcement actions have ranged from administrative civil liabilities to cleanup and abatement orders against public agencies, irrigation districts like the Turlock Irrigation District and industrial dischargers, often coordinated with United States Environmental Protection Agency oversight. High-profile enforcement involved remediation mandates in areas impacted by California Gold Rush-era mercury contamination, and settlements addressing urban stormwater runoff tied to municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s).

Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment

The board conducts and coordinates monitoring programs across the Central Valley, synthesizing data from state networks like the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program and federal databases such as the USGS National Water Information System. Monitoring targets rivers including the American River (California), reservoirs like Shasta Lake, and agricultural drains in the Delta Mendota Canal corridor to assess indicators such as turbidity, salinity, pesticide residues (e.g., organophosphates), and biological metrics including benthic macroinvertebrates used in bioassessment protocols. Assessments support listings on the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list and inform development of basin plans and TMDLs.

Major Initiatives and Projects

Major initiatives include development and implementation of TMDLs for nutrient pollution in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, salinity management plans for the San Joaquin Valley, and projects addressing legacy contaminants from mining in California and agricultural pesticide impacts, often in partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and local water districts. Collaborative restoration projects target habitat improvements in floodplains such as the Yolo Bypass and riparian corridors along the Merced River (California), integrating flood control strategies from the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan and ecosystem objectives from the Delta Plan.

History and Notable Decisions

Since its mid-20th century origins alongside state water policy evolution, the board has adopted basin plans for the Sacramento and San Joaquin basins and issued landmark TMDLs and enforcement orders affecting water quality in the Central Valley Project and State Water Project service areas. Notable decisions include numeric salinity objectives, selenium controls in the Kesterson Reservoir aftermath, and regulatory responses to major droughts and floods such as the California droughts of the 2010s and 2017 Oroville Dam crisis consequences for water quality. The board’s actions have been subject to judicial review in cases before courts like the California Supreme Court and federal appellate courts addressing issues of administrative procedure and the scope of Clean Water Act implementation.

Category:California state agencies Category:Water management in California