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IntroductionMost of the rivers on the north coast of California have been severely damaged by excessive logging. The once thriving salmon of our region are threatened with extinction because of damage to their habitat.
North Coast Regional Water Quality Control BoardThe state agency with primary responsibility for water quality in the north coast region of California (Region 1 - see map) is the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Basin PlanThe Basin Plan (water quality control plan) provides the basis for protecting water quality in the north coast region of California. The Basin Plan is mandated by both the Federal Clean Water Act and the State Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act.The Basin Plan is used as a regulatory tool by the Regional Water Board's technical staff. Regional Water Board orders cite the Basin Plan's water quality standards and prohibitions applicable to a particular discharge. The Basin Plan is also used by other agencies in their permitting and resource management activities, and as an educational and reference document for dischargers and members of the public.
Sediment Waste Discharge ProhibitionsStaff of the Regional Water Board are proposing an amendment to the Basin Plan that would control sediment waste discharges from all land use activities throughout the North Coast Region. The proposed Sediment Waste Discharge Prohibitions and Action Plan was released for public comment on September 29, 2004.The proposal has laudable goals, but lacks teeth. Several environmental groups on the north coast submitted detailed comments on the proposal: The Board is revising their approach, and canceled the adoption hearing scheduled for November 29, 2004. It is expected that the revised approach will take the form of a Basin Plan Amendment, so there will be another formal public review period, including additional public workshops when the revised amendment language and supporting documents are available.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)The Federal Clean Water Act requires states to identify waterbodies that do not meet water quality standards and are not supporting their beneficial uses. These waters are placed on the Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waterbodies.Placement on this list triggers development of a pollution control plan called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for each waterbody and associated pollutant/stressor on the list. The Water Board is responsible for identifying impaired waterbodies and preparing a plan to restore their health. Development of these plans for each river on the north coast has been proceeding very slowly.
TMDL Implementation PolicyOn November 29, 2004, the Water Board adopted a policy to implement sediment TMDLs throughout the North Coast Region for all sediment impaired water bodies, rather than preparing a separate plan for each river. The goals of the TMDL Implementation Policy are to control sediment waste discharges to impaired water bodies so that the TMDLs are met, sediment water quality objectives are attained, and beneficial uses are no longer adversely affected by sediment.
Additional informationThe Regional Water Board website provides a wealth of information on water quality issues in our region, including:
Board membersThere are nine positions on the Regional Water Board (see list below). As of late April 2006, four of those positions are vacant.Conflict of interest Regulations prohibit the appointment of persons who garner 10% or more of their income from a business with a wastewater discharge permit. Those regulations are now being interpreted more strictly than in the past. In February 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger asked Dennis Leonardi to resign because Leonardi Dairy's milk is processed at the Humboldt Creamery, which has a wastewater discharge permit (see North Coast Journal). In April 2006, both Bev Wasson and Teejay Lowe also resigned because of possible conflicts of interest. [Clifford Marshall resigned in January 2006 for other reasons.]
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North Coast
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5550 Skylane Blvd.,Suite A
