Gualala River Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

Announcements

Regional Board staff are currently drafting the Gualala TMDL Action Plan and the supporting environmental documentation (Staff Report). The Action Plan and Staff Report will be available for public review by June 2025. The Action Plan will be considered for Board adoption by March 2026.

Regional Board staff are also developing an Order, or Orders, that will require the inventory, assessment, and prioritization of the treatment of roads to control sources of sediment. These orders will be a part of the implementation strategy for the TMDL. Draft Orders will be prepared by April 2025 and will be brought to the Board by April 2026. Information regarding the Orders will be provided through the project mailing list.

Quarterly Project Status Updates

• October 2024 Project Status Update
• July 2024 Project Status Update
• April 2024 Project Status Update
• January 2024 Project Status Update
• October 2023 Project Status Update

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Documentation

The North Coast Water Board hosted two public California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) scoping meetings for the Gualala River TMDL Action Plan. The first meeting was online on Monday June 3, 2024, and the second meeting was in-person on Wednesday June 5, 2024. The public comment period for comments related to CEQA closed on July 8, 2024.

Presentation slides from these meetings can be found at the following link:
CEQA Scoping Public Meeting Presentation

Additional meeting information can be found in the Meeting Notice linked below:
Gualala River Sediment TMDL Action Plan CEQA Scoping Meeting Notice

An initial draft CEQA checklist has been prepared (linked below) which includes project background information, the proposed project description, potential reasonably foreseeable compliance measures, and an initial draft of potential environmental impacts (checklist). This list may be updated considering public comments received during CEQA Scoping:
Gualala River Sediment TMDL CEQA Draft Environmental Checklist

Gualala River TMDL Overview

The Gualala River is included on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list for impairments associated with excessive sediment and high temperatures. A TMDL addressing sediment impairments was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in December 2001. The Regional Water Board prepared a Technical Support Document (TSD) that addressed sources of sediment and temperature impairments, loading capacities, and load allocations necessary to restore sediment and temperature conditions supportive of beneficial uses related to the cold water fishery in the Gualala River Watershed. The TSD served as the basis for the USEPA's TMDLs.

The Gualala River Sediment TMDL was included in Resolution R1-2004-0087, Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Policy for Sediment Impaired Receiving Waters in the North Coast Region, adopted by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in November 2004. The text of the resolution may be viewed by clicking here.

Regional Water Board staff are currently developing an action plan to address continuing water quality impairments in the Gualala River watershed. The goal of this action plan is to improve the quality of waters in the Gualala River watershed so that water quality standards are attained and beneficial uses of those waters are fully supported.

• Gualala River TMDL Action Plan Fact Sheet

• Final TMDL (PDF) (22 pp, 108K)
• Summary of Comments and Responses (11 pg, 26K)

• Gualala River Watershed Technical Support Document for the TMDL for Sediment
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