Groundwater Implementation Program Amendment

Proposed Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region to Update Regional Groundwater and Surface Water Protection Action Plans

Introduction

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) staff is proposing Basin Plan revisions that will update and reorganize the Implementation Plans Chapter (4). The amendment will also add additional action plans including, but not limited to, an action plan for discharges of waste to land. The proposed revisions to the Basin Plan include changes to Chapter 4 - Implementation Plans.

Note: This amendment was previously part of the “Groundwater and Surface Water Protection Amendment,” which has been divided into the Water Quality Objectives Update Amendment (Phase I) and the Amendment to Update Regional Groundwater and Surface Water Protection Action Plans (Phase II).

Specific changes under Phase II of the may include, and are not limited to, the following:
Staff has identified, and the Regional Water Board has endorsed, during the last several Triennial Reviews of the Basin Plan, the need to accomplish several updates to Chapter 4, including:

• Reorganize Chapter 4
• Create an index and new headings within this chapter to be consistent with other recent edits to the Basin Plan.
• Revise and/or delete existing plans and policies to bring the Basin Plan up to date with current regulations and practices.
• Revise the existing On-Site Waste Treatment and Disposal Practices Policy to incorporate the State Water Board’s newly adopted Onsite Waste Treatment System (OWTS) Policy.
• Adopt a regionwide prohibition against the discharge of waste in violation of water quality standards, similar to that now in effect the Klamath Basin.
• Adopt a Land Discharge Action Plan
• To address the potential for the disposal of waste to land to impact groundwater resources, and
• To address the requirements of the State Water Board’s Recycled Water Policy. 

Available Documents

• Public Notice to Hold CEQA Scoping Meetings (October 2012) NOTE: Meetings postponed - updated info coming soon!
• CEQA Fact Sheet (October 2012) note: coming soon

• CEQA Scoping Meeting Presentation (Combined Phases I & II - July 2010)