Contact EPA Pacific Southwest Water Division
Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
California Nonpoint Source Program
Final Approval Letter
July 17, 2000
Peter Douglas, Executive Director
California Coastal Commission
45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000
San Francisco, CA 94105-2219
Edward Anton, Acting Executive Director
State Water Resources Control Board
901 P Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Dear Messrs. Douglas and Anton:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are pleased to inform you of our full approval of the Plan for California's Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program (Program Plan), submitted in accordance with §6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990 (CZARA) and §319 of the Clean Water Act (CWA §319). We commend you for developing a nonpoint source pollution control program to address both the requirements of CZARA and the CWA §319. We congratulate you on your efforts to successfully complete development of this comprehensive program, while recognizing the most challenging work awaits us.
Nonpoint source pollution, caused by a wide range of activities including agriculture, mining, urban development and forestry, is the leading cause of water quality impairment in California. The restoration of California's waters will depend on a wide range of regulatory and non-regulatory actions. We fully support the Program Plan's stress on cooperation and local stewardship to resolve nonpoint source problems, but vitally important are your assurances of applicable State regulatory authorities available to protect and restore water quality degraded by nonpoint source discharges. We recognize success will ultimately rely on your ability to use these programs and authorities to foster the widespread implementation of practices that will restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of California's waters.
NOAA and EPA find that California has satisfied all conditions of program approval pursuant to CZARA set forth in the Findings on the California Coastal Nonpoint Program, transmitted to the State on June 30, 1998. These conditions have been addressed in the Program Plan. Furthermore, EPA finds that the Program Plan successfully incorporates the nine key elements pursuant to CWA §319 that characterize an effective and dynamic state nonpoint source program (EPA, May 1996). Consequently, the California Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program is now fully approved pursuant to CZARA and CWA §319. As a result, California will receive $10.6 million this year to implement the nonpoint source program. This includes $5.2 million of "new" funds that the Clean Water Action Plan (February 1998) has earmarked for those States that have upgraded their nonpoint source programs.
We greatly appreciate the effort and commitment your agencies and staff have shown in completing development of your nonpoint source program. We look forward to working closely with you to implement fully the management measures by 2013, and will be working with you to monitor your progress in achieving this goal. If you have any questions regarding the enclosed decision documents, please call Jeff Benoit (NOAA) (301-713-3155), Felicia Marcus (EPA Region 9) (415-744-1001), or Alexis Strauss (EPA Region 9) (415-744-1860), or refer staff to Keelin Kuipers (NOAA) (301-713-3121, ext. 175) or Sam Ziegler (EPA Region 9) (415-744-1990).
Yours,
Jeffrey R. Benoit, Director
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Felicia Marcus, Regional Administrator
EPA Region 9
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Enclosures:
NOAA/EPA Decisions on Conditions of Approval (CZARA)
EPA's Review of California's Upgraded NPS Management Program (CWA §319)
cc:
Winston H. Hickox, CalEPA
Mary D. Nichols, Resources Agency
Arthur G. Baggett, Jr., SWRCB
Sara Wan, CCC
Executive Officers, RWQCB 1-9
Chairs, RWQCB 1-9