San Diego Region - Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Sediment TMDL

Introduction

The San Diego Water Board adopted Resolution No. R9-2012-0033, an amendment incorporating the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Sediment TMDL into the San Diego Basin Plan on June 13, 2012. This TMDL Basin Plan Amendment was approved by the State Water Resources Control Board on January 21, 2014, and by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) on July 14, 2014. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) approved the TMDL Basin Plan Amendment on October 30, 2014.

Background

Los Peñasquitos Lagoon (Lagoon) is one of the few remaining coastal lagoons in southern California and provides valuable estuarine habitat as well as numerous other important beneficial uses. Urbanization pressure has resulted in excessive sedimentation, and the degradation and loss of estuarine habitat.

The Lagoon does not meet the water quality objective for sediment and on the 1996 List of Water Quality Limited Segments Beneficial uses impaired by increased sedimentation are associated with protection of aquatic life (e.g., Estuarine Habitat, Marine Habitat, Rare, Threatened, or Endangered Species, and Preservation of Biological Habitats of Special Significance, etc.).

The San Diego Water Board initiated development of a sediment TMDL for the Lagoon in 2009. A third party stakeholder group was assembled to assist Water Board staff in TMDL development and decision-making with an emphasis on the technical analysis and numeric targets. The Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Sediment TMDL is the first "third party stakeholder driven" TMDL adopted in the San Diego Region.

On June 13, 2014, the San Diego Water Board conducted a public hearing and adopted the Resolution No. R9-2012-0033 which amended the Basin Plan to include the Los Peñasquitos Sediment TMDL. The State Water Resources Control Board adopted Resolution No. 2014-0001 on January 21, 2014 to incorporate the Los Peñasquitos Sediment TMDL into the Basin Plan. The Office of Administrative Law approved the Los Peñasquitos Sediment TMDL Basin Plan Amendment on July 14, 2014. The USEPA approved the Los Peñasquitos Sediment TMDL Basin Plan Amendment on October 30, 2014.

Public Documents

Final Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Sediment TMDL Documents

The following documents are available for review at the San Diego Water Board Office. To request a file review please contact the Regional Board receptionist at (619) 516-1990, or email rb9_records@waterboards.ca.gov

• USEPA Approval (Approved on October 30, 2014)
• Office of Administrative Law Approval (Approved on July 14, 2014)
• State Water Resources Control Board Resolution No. 2014-0001 (adopted January 21, 2014)
• Resolution No. R9-2012-0033 signed June 13, 2012
• Basin Plan Amendment (Attachment A to Resolution No. R9-2012-0033)
• Staff Report (dated June 13, 2012)
  • Attachment 1 - Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Sediment/Siltation TMDL (Technical Support Document)
  • Attachment 2 - Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Sediment TMDL Modeling (Modeling Report)
  • Attachment 3 - Environmental Analysis and Checklist (Revised)
  • Attachment 4 - Response to Peer Review Comments
  • Attachment 5 - Public Comments on Draft Staff Report dated April 22, 2011