California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year  2018-19 

CLEAN UP: GROUNDWATER

MEASUREMENTS  - Data last updated on: 10-08-2019 (1:25 pm)

WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING

In Fiscal Year (FY) 18-19, 83 percent of active cases were concentrated in the San Francisco Bay (Region 2), Central Valley (Region 5), Lahontan (Region 6), and San Diego (Region 9) regions. A low percentage (approximately 2 percent) of military cases were closed during FY 2018-19 statewide. However, a notable exception was Region 3, which reported a closure rate near 6 percent.

WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT

Measuring the number of active cases, new cases, and the number of cases closed is important as it shows the program's level of activity and the resources necessary to handle the workload. This measure shows the number of pending cases requiring clean up and identifies statewide trends in cleanup activities. Note that the cases represented by the data do not include all cases managed by the Water Boards. The cases counted only include cases with direct impacts to groundwater or surface waters. Closing a cleanup case is the ultimate goal of a cleanup strategy. Closure signifies that the pollution has been cleaned up to a degree that there is no longer a threat to human health or the surrounding environment. Cases that do not meet unrestricted use at the time of closure should have deed restrictions, and are expected to achieve cleanup standards in a reasonable time.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Data source: GEOTRACKER. Period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 .
• Unit of Measure: Number of cases.
• Data Definitions: Active Cases: The number of cases overseen by Regional Boards that had an Open status as of June 30, 2019 . Inactive Cases: Cases that have a status of inactive at 06/30/ 2019 . New Cases-Releases: The number of cases that had a status of Open - case begin date occur any time between 07/01/ 2018 and 06/30/ 2019 . Cases Closed: The number of cases that had a status of completed - case closed occurs any time between 07/01/ 2018 and 06/30/ 2019 .
• References:
  Information on the Water Boards' Department of Defense program
  Public Reports and Data

GLOSSARY

Military Sites - Department of Defense Program

Decades of defense activities have degraded water quality on and around federally-owned facilities. Working with other agencies, the Regional Boards are involved with remedial investigation and cleanup actions. Agreements with the Department of Defense provide for accelerated cleanups at military bases and other Defense sites scheduled for closure and reuse. Site investigation and cleanup procedures are consistent with State laws and regulations as well as applicable provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) which guides the federal Superfund program.

Number of cleanup cases with human health exposure controlled

Means a count of all open Water Board-lead cases and Shared-lead cases where human health exposure has been evaluated as of the end of the Fiscal Year.

Active Remediation

Active remediation comprises the phase(s) of work where the actual construction or implementation of activities to accomplish cleanup at a site occurs.

Case Closure

A site qualifies to receive a "No Further Action" (closure) letter once the owner or operator meets all appropriate corrective action requirements. After this occurs, the county agency or regional board will inform the responsible party in writing that no further work is required.

Number of cleanup cases groundwater contaminant migration under control

Means a count of all open Water Board-lead cases and Shared-lead cases where groundwater contaminant migration has been evaluated as of the end of the Fiscal Year.