California Code of Regulations › Title 23 - Waters › Division 4 - Regional Water Quality Control Boards › Chapter 1 - Water Quality Control Plans, Policies, and Guidelines › Article 3 - Central Coast Region › Section 3929.1 - Total Maximum Daily Load and Implementation Plan for Pathogens, Livestock Waste Discharge Prohibition, and Removal of the Shellfish Harvesting Beneficial Use from Watsonville Slough and Tributaries

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
Resolution No. R3-2006-0025, adopted on March 24, 2006 by
					 the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Coast Water
					 Board), modified the regulatory provisions of the Water Quality Control Plan
					 for the Central Coast Region (Basin Plan) by establishing the Watsonville
					 Slough Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for pathogens, adopting numeric targets
					 for indicator organisms, adopting an implementation plan to achieve the TMDL,
					 and adopting a livestock waste discharge prohibition. The State Water Resources
					 Control Board (State Water Board) approved the amendment on September 21, 2006,
					 under Resolution No. 2006-0067.
The TMDL addresses the Watsonville Slough Watershed, which
					 includes Watsonville, Harkins, Struve, Hanson, and Gallighan Sloughs, which do
					 not meet water quality standards due to pathogens. An implicit margin of safety
					 was incorporated into the TMDL through the use of conservative assumptions
					 throughout the source analysis and characterization of beneficial use impacts.
					 The Central Coast Water Board set load allocations for operators or owners of
					 irrigated lands who land-apply non-sterile manure, as well as operators of
					 livestock facilities or owners of animals and livestock facilities. The Central
					 Coast Water Board set wasteload allocations for Santa Cruz County and the City
					 of Watsonville. The amendment establishes numeric targets for the indicator
					 organism fecal coliform that demonstrate the presence of fecal pollution. These
					 numeric targets are consistent within the Basin Plan's water quality objectives
					 that are known to be supportive of the beneficial uses protecting water contact
					 recreation. The numeric targets are the water quality objectives for water
					 contact recreation in the Basin Plan.
The TMDL relies on a livestock waste discharge prohibition
					 for the Watsonville Slough Watershed that prohibits owners of animals and
					 livestock facilities or operators of livestock facilities from discharging any
					 livestock animal waste from any activity into waters of the State within the
					 Watsonville Slough Watershed, or to submit either a Nonpoint Source Pollution
					 Control Implementation Program or document that their activity does not result
					 in a discharge. The Central Coast Water Board will also rely upon National
					 Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, waste discharge requirements
					 (WDRs), and waivers of WDRs to ensure that implementing parties carry out
					 implementation actions. As described in the resolution, several entities are
					 responsible for achieving the numeric target. This Basin Plan amendment
					 establishes a ten year implementation period to achieve the TMDL. The amendment
					 specifies that the Central Coast Water Board will track progress towards
					 achieving the TMDL through review of implementation actions and monitoring
					 conducted by the implementing parties. The amendment also states that the
					 Central Coast Water Board staff will conduct triennial reviews of
					 implementation actions and monitoring results. If monitoring demonstrates
					 efforts will not achieve the TMDL as scheduled (as determined by a triennial
					 review), the Executive Officer of the Central Coast Water Board may require
					 changes to existing monitoring, reporting, or implementation efforts pursuant
					 to Water Code (WC) sections
					 13267 or
					 13383. Should Nonpoint Source
					 Pollution Control Implementation Programs or documentation require
					 modification, or if a party fails to submit a Program or documentation, the
					 Executive Officer may issue a civil liability complaint pursuant to WC sections
					 13268 or
					 13350 or, alternatively, propose
					 individual or general WDRs to assure compliance with the prohibition.
1. New
					 section summarizing amendments to basin plan filed 11-20-2006; amendments
					 approved by State Water Resources Control Board Resolution No. 2006-0067 on
					 9-21-2006; amendments approved by OAL pursuant to Government Code section
					 11353 on
					 11-20-2006 (Register 2006, No. 47).