Statewide Policies

• [See Resolution 92-49, As amended on April 21, 1994 and October 2, 1996 ]
• [See Resolution 96-079, Amended October 2, 1996 and approved by OAL January 13, 1997 (PDF)]
• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Ocean Waters of California (California Ocean Plan) ]
  (Effective April 7, 2016) This plan is applicable, in its entirety, to point source discharges into the ocean.
  • The following amendments are associated with this document:

    Effective Date	Description
    01-12-16	[See Appendix D: Final Amendment to Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California to Control Trash (PDF)]

• [See Memorandum from State Water Resources Control Board on Federal Antidegradation Policy (PDF)]
  (Effective October 7, 1987) This memorandum is intended to provide guidance on the application of the federal antidegradation policy to actions by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) and California Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Boards).
• [See Water Quality Standards for Salinity, Colorado River System, October 2005 Review (PDF)]
  (Effective June 1, 2006) Prepared by the seven-state Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, this document is a review of the water quality standards including the numeric criteria and plan of implementation previously developed and adopted by the Forum.
• Policy for Implementation of Toxics Standards for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California (2005) (PDF) (64 pp, 2 MB) Exit
  (Effective October 23, 2006) This document is commonly referred to as the "State Implementation Plan", or "SIP". On October 23, 2006, EPA disapproved portions of Section 2.1 of the Policy related specifically to the granting of compliance schedules up to 15 years from the effective date of the policy to take into account the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Clean Water Act Section 303(d) impaired waters.
  • The following amendments are associated with this document:

    Effective Date	Description
    01-12-16	[See Appendix E: Final Part 1 Trash Provisions of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California (PDF)]

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (PDF)]
  (Effective May 1995) The purpose of this plan is to establish water quality control measures which contribute to the protection of beneficial uses in the Bay-Delta Estuary. This plan consists of: (1) beneficial uses to be protected; (2) water quality objectives for the reasonable protection of beneficial uses; and (3) a program of implementation for achieving the water quality objectives.
• [See Statement of Policy with Respect to Maintaining High Quality Waters in California (Resolution 68-016) (PDF)]
  (Effective October 24, 1968) The purpose of this policy is to state that whenever the existing quality of water is better than the quality established in policies that such existing high quality will be maintained.
• [See Water Quality Control Policy for the Enclosed Bays and Estuaries of California (PDF)]
  (Effective April 1979) The purpose of this policy is to provide water quality principles and guidelines to prevent water quality degradation and to protect the beneficial uses of waters of enclosed bays and estuaries.
• [See Water Quality Control Plan for Enclosed Bays and Estuaries - Part 1 Sediment Quality (PDF)]
  (Effective August 25, 2009) The plan provides narrative sediment quality objectives protecting benthic communities from direct exposure to pollutants in sediments and minimizing human health risk from consumption of fish and shellfish tissue that may pose a risk as a result of contaminants in sediment. The plan also includes a description of the applicable beneficial uses, a description of how the narrative objectives may be interpreted and the means by which these narrative objectives shall be applied to existing water quality protection plans.
• [See Water Quality Control Policy on the Use and Disposal of Inland Waters Used for Powerplant Cooling (Resolution 75-58) (PDF)]
  (Effective June 19, 1975) The purpose of this policy is to provide consistent statewide water quality principles and guidance for adoption of discharge requirements, and implementation actions for powerplants which depend upon inland waters for cooling. In addition, this policy should be particularly useful in guiding planning of new power generating facilities so as to protect beneficial uses of the State’s water resources and to keep the consumptive use of freshwater for powerplant cooling to that minimally essential for the welfare of the citizens of the State.
• [See Policy with Respect to Water Reclamation in California (Resolution 77-001) (PDF)]
  (Effective January 6, 1977) The purpose of this policy is to set forth principles that foster the coordination of the development of reclamation potential in California including data collection, research, planning, and implementation programs for water reclamation and reclaimed water uses.
• [See Adoption of Policy Entitled "Sources of Drinking Water " (Resolution 88-63) (PDF)]
  (Effective May 19, 1988) This policy gives exceptions to the statement that all surface and ground waters of the State are considered to be suitable, or potentially suitable, for municipal or domestic water supply and should be so designated by the Regional Boards.
• [See Policies and Procedures for Investigation and Cleanup and Abatement of Discharges Under Water Code Section 13304 (Resolution 92-49 as amended by Resolution 96-79) (PDF)]
  (Effective October 2, 1996) These policies and procedures apply to all investigations, and cleanup and abatement activities, for all types of discharges subject to Section 13304 of the WC

  • The following amendments are associated with this document:

    Effective Date	Description
    10-2-1996	[See Amendment to the Policies and Procedures for Investigation and Cleanup and Abatement of Discharges Under Water Code Section 13304, Resolution 96-079 (PDF)]

• [See Policy for Regulation of Discharges of Municipal Solid Waste (PDF)]
  (Effective June 17, 1993) This policy identifies policies, implementation, implementation schedule, and containment parameters and standards with regards to the regulation of discharges of municipal solid waste.
• Adoption of the Water Quality Control Policy for Guidance on Development of Regional Toxic Hot Spot Cleanup Plans (Resolution 98-90) (PDF)Exit
  (Effective September 2, 1998) The Water Quality Control Policy for Guidance on Development of Regional Toxic Hot Spot Cleanup Plans is intended to provide guidance on the development of the Regional cleanup plans. The Policy contains a specific definition of a toxic hot spot, general ranking criteria, the mandatory contents of the cleanup plans, and issues to be considered by the SWRCB in the development of the consolidated toxic hot spot cleanup plan. The principles contained in this Policy apply to all enclosed bays, estuaries and coastal waters.

Below are the Basin Plans with listed water quality standards amendments for the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards. Please note that the following Basin Plans also include provisions outside the scope of water quality standards. The dates provided here generally reflect the most recent effective date for the water quality standards portions of the Plans.

Regional Water Quality Control Board 1 (North Coast)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region (PDF)]
  (Effective August 18, 1994)

Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region

Effective Date	Description
2-27-06	[See Compliance Schedules for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program, Resolution R1-2004-0011 (PDF)]
12-21-10	[See Site-Specific Objectives (SSO) for Dissolved Oxygen for the Klamath River, Resolution No. R1-2010-0025 (PDF)]
4-9-12	[See Low Threat Discharges Action Plan and Revision of Action Plan for Storm Water Discharges (PDF)]

Regional Water Quality Control Board 2 (San Francisco Bay Region)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay Region (PDF)]
  (Effective November 13, 1995)

Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay Region

Effective Date	Description
1-21-03	[See Adoption of site-specific objectives for copper and nickel in the Lower South San Francisco Bay and an implementation plan, Resolution R2-2002-0061 (PDF)]
2-12-08	[See Adoption of amended mercury water quality objectives and mercury TMDL for the San Francisco Bay (PDF)]
9-29-08	[See Adoption of site-specific objective for copper under and north of the Dumbarton Bridge in the San Francisco Bay and an implementation plan, Resolution R2-2007-0042 (PDF)]
1-06-09	[See Adoption of site-specific objective for copper under and north of the Dumbarton Bridge in the San Francisco Bay and an implementation plan, Resolution R2-2007-0042 (PDF)]
6-01-10	[See Adoption of site-specific methylmercury fish tissue water quality objectives in replacement of a mercury water column water quality objective for certain waters within the Guadalupe River watershed (PDF)]
8-16-11	[See Adoption of enterococcus objectives for marine and estuarine waters designated for the Contact Water Recreation beneficial use in the San Francisco Bay Region (PDF)]
4-3-12	[See Hayward Marsh Resolution and Basin Plan Amendment (PDF)]
4-3-12	[See Addition of Surface Water Bodies and Beneficial Uses for San Franciscos Bay Basin (PDF)]

Regional Water Quality Control Board 3 (Central Coast)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coast Region (PDF)]
  (Effective September 8, 1994)

Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coast Region

Effective Date	Description
8-22-03	[See Removal of the nitrate objective for the San Lorenzo River from Chapter 3 of the Basin Plan, Resolution 00-001 (PDF)]
3-28-07	[See Amending the Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coast Basin to include Watsonville Slough TMDL and implementation plan for pathogens, Watsonville Slough watershed livestock waste discharge prohibition, and removal of the shellfish harvesting benef (PDF)]

Regional Water Quality Control Board 4 (Los Angeles)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Los Angeles Region (PDF)]
  (Effective February 25, 1995)

Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Los Angeles Region

Effective Date	Description
1-27-97	[See Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Los Angeles Region (PDF)]
9-25-02	[See Update to bacteria objectives for waterbodies designated for Water Contact Recreation (PDF)]
6-19-03	[See Update to ammonia water quality objectives and implementation procedures for inland surface waters, enclosed bays, and estuaries which are characteristic of freshwater and support aquatic life (PDF)]
6-19-03	[See Incorporates (1) implementation provisions for the bacteria objectives; (2) the Santa Monica Bay Beaches wet-weather TMDL; and (3) the Santa Monica Bay Beaches dry-weather TMDL, Resolution 2002-022 (PDF)]
2-10-04	[See Amendment for the coastal watersheds of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties that incorporates language authorizing the inclusion of compliance schedules in NPDES permits, Resolution 2003-001 (PDF)]
2-17-06	[See Update to Beneficial Uses (PDF)] These amendments incorporate 1) the removal of the potential REC-1 beneficial use associated with the Swimmable Goal - as expressed in the federal Clean Water Act Section 101(a)(2) - for "Ballona Creek," replace the potential REC-1 beneficial use for "Ballon Creek to Estuary" with an Existing Limited REC-1 Use, and 2) add bacteria objectives to prtect the new limited REC-1 use. [See Amended Beneficial Use Table 2.1 (PDF)]>
2-16-07	[See Amendment for revised early life stage implementation provision for inland surface water ammonia objectives for freshwaters, Resolution 2005-014 (PDF)]
3-30-09	[See Amendment incorporating site-specific objectives for ammonia, Resolution 2007-005 (PDF)]
5-18-09	[See Amendment subdividing Santa Clara River reach 4 into two Reaches, 4A and 4B, Resolution R4-2007-018 (PDF)]
4-28-15	[See Attachment B to: Revision of the TMDL for Chloride in the Upper Santa Clara River, Resolution No. R4-2014-010 (PDF)]

Regional Water Quality Control Board 5 (Central Valley)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin, Second Edition - 1995 (PDF)]
  (Effective July 20, 1995)
• [See Water Quality Control Plan, Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins (PDF)]
  (Effective April 21, 2016) This is the Fourth Edition, which includes amendments from 1995.

Regional Water Quality Control Board 6 (Lahontan)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region, North and South Basins (PDF)]
  (Effective March 2, 2016)

Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region, North and South Basins

Effective Date	Description
4-29-02	[See Table 2-1: Removes the potential Municipal and Domestic Supply (MUN) use designation (PDF)]
1-12-04	[See Editorial revisions that pertain to restatements of existing water quality standards for the purpose of clarity and corrections of formatting or typographic errors in the Basin Plan (PDF)]
9-10-15	[See Replacement of a Pesticide Water Quality Objective with a Waste Discharge Prohibition on Pesticides with Exemption Criteria (PDF)]

Regional Water Quality Control Board 7 (Colorado River Basin)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Colorado River Basin (PDF)]
  (Effective August 8, 1994)

Regional Water Quality Control Board 8 (Santa Ana)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the Santa Ana River Basin (PDF)]
  (Effective July 17, 1997)

Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Santa Ana River Basin

Effective Date	Description
7-15-02	[See Incorporates language to authorize the inclusion of compliance schedules in NPDES permits under specified circumstances (PDF)]
4-8-15	[See Revises recreational standards for inland fresh surface waters in the Santa Ana region (PDF)] Note that not all changes are effective for Clean Water Act purposes; please refer to cover page for additional information.

Regional Water Quality Control Board 9 (San Diego)

• [See Water Quality Control Plan for the San Diego Basin (PDF)]
  (Effective March 12, 1997) This is the 1994 Edition, which includes water quality standards amendments from 1996 and 1997. Basin Plan on the State of California website Exit.

Effective Date	Description
9-16-09	[See Incorporate Implementation Provisions for Indicator Bacteria Water Quality Objectives, Resolution R9-2008-0028 (PDF)]

Federally Proposed or Promulgated Standards

• Withdrawal of Certain Federal Water Quality Criteria Applicable to California, New Jersey and Puerto Rico (April 4, 2013)
  • Fact Sheet (New Jersey, California, and Puerto Rico) (February 2013)
• Final Water Quality Standards Bacteria Rule for Coastal and Great Lakes Recreation Waters (November 8, 2004)
• Withdrawal of Aquatic Life Water Quality Criteria for Copper and Nickel Applicable to South San Francisco Bay, California (November 6, 2003)
• Establishment of Numeric Criteria for Priority Toxic Pollutants for the State of California (California Toxics Rule)
• Policy Guidance: Water Quality Standards and the Endangered Species Act (PDF) (2 pp, 803 K)
• Establishment of Numeric Criteria for Priority Toxic Pollutants; States' Compliance—Revision of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Criteria (November 1999)
• San Francisco Bay/Delta Rule (January 24, 1995)
• National Toxics Rule (Preamble) (December 1992)