The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2008-09

What We Do and How We are Doing

Data Reported (Measures of Performance)

Set Water Quality Standards - What are safe levels of pollutants in waters?

The State’s water quality standards consist of:

• Antidegradation Policy
• Beneficial uses of water
• Water quality objectives

Antidegradation Policy
The Antidegradation Policy, adopted by the State Water Board in 1968, states that high quality waters shall be maintained unless a change in water quality (1) is consistent with maximum benefit to the people of the State, (2) will not unreasonably affect present and anticipated beneficial uses of the water, and (3) will not result in water quality less than that prescribed in policies.

Beneficial Uses
The waters of the State are beneficially used in many ways.  Some of the most common uses of water are drinking, bathing, swimming, boating, fishing, irrigation, farming, industrial processes, power generation, and environmental uses such as fish and wildlife habitat.  The beneficial uses of the surface waters and groundwaters of the State are designated in the water quality control plans adopted by the Regional Water Boards.

Water Quality Objectives
Water quality objectives are established to protect the beneficial uses of the State’s waters.  The objectives describe or set the limits or levels of pollutants or other characteristics of the water that will reasonably protect its uses or prevent nuisance.

The Water Boards establish the State’s water quality standards (comprised of the three elements above), along with a program of implementation for meeting the standards, in water quality control plans and policies.  Each Regional Water Board has a water quality control plan, called a Basin Plan, that contains the designated beneficial uses, water quality objectives, and implementation plan for achieving the objectives and protecting the uses of the waters in their regions.  The State Water Board has adopted water quality control plans and policies that address issues of statewide concern (such as the Thermal Plan) or affect multiple regions (such as the Ocean Plan).

Monitor and Assess Waters - What is the quality of our waters?

Monitoring and assessment of the State’s surface and groundwaters provides the data and information that is essential to determining their condition, establishing water quality standards, guiding the Water Boards and their partners in taking actions that protect the waters, and evaluating the effectiveness of our pollution control efforts.

To obtain needed data and information, the Water Boards rely on their Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program and Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP), including a citizen monitoring component of SWAMP, in conjunction with the monitoring efforts of numerous local, State, and federal agencies.  Monitoring consists of going out to a site, making observations, and taking measurements and samples for analysis.  Samples may be taken for chemical, toxicological, or biological analysis in the field or laboratory.  The data and information gathered from sampling events are recorded for subsequent assessment to determine the health of the water and aquatic organisms.

Effective monitoring programs are designed to answer specific assessment questions to assist in managing the resource.  These assessment questions pertain to the following:

Status:  What is the overall quality of California’s surface waters?
Trends:  What is the pace and direction of change in water quality over time?
Problem Identification:  Which water bodies have water quality problems and which areas are at risk?
Diagnostic:  What are the causes of water quality problems and where are the sources of those stressors?
Evaluation:  How effective are clean water projects and programs?

To use a medical analogy, the doctor may take your temperature, pulse, and blood pressure to assess your health status.  Current measurements can be compared to your chart to determine trends, whether a condition is getting better or worse.  Tests might be recommended to characterize a medical problem.  Additional tests might be required to diagnose the cause.  Finally, if treatment is prescribed, then follow up visits are necessary to evaluate the success of the program.  These same questions must be answered on a routine basis through monitoring and assessment to maintain the health of the State’s water resources.

Periodically, the Water Boards update their water quality assessment report on the condition of California’s waters, as required by the federal Clean Water Act section 305(b).  This “California 305(b) Report on Water Quality”, which is posted on the State Water Board’s web site, presents summaries of water quality data and information, including information on impaired water bodies.  The State also maintains a list of impaired surface waters on the State Water Boards’ web site.

Impaired Waters
For a water body to support its beneficial uses, the water must be of sufficient quantity and meet its water quality standards.  When monitoring and assessment indicate that one or more water quality objectives are not being met in a water body, the water is presumed not to support its beneficial uses and is considered impaired.  In addition, the Water Boards may use numerical water quality limits from the literature for over 850 chemical constituents and water quality parameters, collectively called water quality goals, to determine whether beneficial uses of groundwater and surface water are likely to be impaired or threatened.

For surface water bodies that do not meet water quality standards, the Water Boards take steps to bring them into compliance so that the uses of the water are protected.  The primary tool to restore a surface water is called a Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL.

Implementing a TMDL can have far-reaching affects on a watershed and the involved stakeholders – those who have an interest or stake in the outcome, which includes the regulatory agencies, the regulated community, and the public.  A TMDL considers all sources and causes of impairment, and allocates responsibility for taking corrective measures.

With the adoption of TMDLs and their implementation plans in the Regional Water Board Basin Plans, the work of taking actions to remedy the impairments begins.  Further monitoring and assessment helps us to determine the effectiveness of those actions.

(Updated 9/20/11)