California Code of Regulations › Title 23 - Waters › Division 3 - State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards › Chapter 23 - Water Quality Control Plans › Section 3002.1 - Clear and Concise Summary of Amendments to Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
On December 11, 2018, the State Water Resources Control Board
				  (State Water Board) adopted Resolution No. 2018-0059 amending the Water Quality
				  Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
				  (Bay-Delta Plan) as follows:
(a)
				Introduction. Update the introductory chapter, including information to reflect
				the new and revised flow water quality objectives for the Lower San Joaquin
				River and its tributaries and the revised salinity water quality objectives for
				the southern Delta, which were identified as two emerging issues in the 2006
				revisions to the Bay-Delta Plan.
(b) Beneficial Uses. Clarify that the
				beneficial uses designated in the "Water Quality Control Plan for the
				Sacramento River Basin and San Joaquin River Basin" for the Stanislaus River,
				Tuolumne River, Merced River, and the San Joaquin River from the mouth of the
				Merced River to Vernalis remain in effect and that the Bay-Delta Plan includes
				measures to protect those uses.
(c)
				Water quality objectives. Adopt new and revised narrative and numeric flow
				water quality objectives for the Lower San Joaquin River watershed, including
				the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced Rivers, (the LSJR flow objectives or flow
				objectives) to reasonably protect fish and wildlife beneficial uses in the
				Bay-Delta Estuary and its tributaries, the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced
				Rivers. Adopt a revised salinity water quality objective for the southern Delta
				to reasonably protect agricultural beneficial uses in the southern Delta (the
				southern Delta salinity objective).
(d) Program of Implementation.
(1) Implementation measures within State
				Water Board Authority. Amend the program of implementation for the Lower San
				Joaquin River to implement the LSJR flow objectives through water right or
				water quality actions. It describes how the State Water Board will exercise its
				authorities to:
(i) ensure the required flows
				are used for their intended purpose;
(ii) ensure that actions taken in response to
				implementation of the flow objectives do not result in unreasonable redirected
				groundwater impacts;
(iii) require
				the development and implementation of minimum reservoir carryover storage
				targets or other requirements to help ensure that providing flows to meet the
				flow objectives will not have significant adverse temperature or other impacts
				on fish and wildlife or, if feasible, on other beneficial uses; and
(iv) ensure that implementation of the flow
				objectives does not impact supplies of water for minimum health and safety
				needs. The program of implementation allows adaptive adjustments to the
				required flows where criteria are met and specifies the information,
				procedures, plans, and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation needed to inform
				implementation, compliance, and effectiveness of the program of implementation
				in meeting the flow objectives. The program of implementation allows the State
				Water Board to authorize a temporary change in the implementation of the flow
				objectives in defined states of emergencies. It recognizes that voluntary
				agreements may serve as an implementation mechanism for the flow
				objectives.