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Biostimulation, Cyanotoxins, and Biological Condition Provisions

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is considering statewide water quality objectives for nutrients, other biostimulatory substances, and cyanotoxins, and a program of implementation under the Biostimulation, Cyanotoxins, and Biological Condition Provisions (Provisions). The Provisions could include statewide numeric or narrative water quality objectives and regulatory control options for point and non-point sources in California’s freshwater wadeable streams and rivers, non-wadeable streams and rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The Provisions may also establish and implement biological condition assessment methods, scoring tools, and targets aimed at protecting the biological integrity (biointegrity) in California’s wadeable streams. The Provisions will be established as state policy for water quality control and will include a water quality control plan component.

Project Updates

State Water Board staff is continuing work to develop a statewide policy for water quality control to reduce nutrient impacts, biostimulation, and harmful algal blooms in surface waters and to support biological integrity in wadeable streams and rivers.

Currently, Water Board staff is developing policy options for applying biostimulatory science for the protection of inland surface waters in California. Over the next several months, staff will be discussing options internally to refine the options before Water Board staff present the options in a series of public workshops.

July 14, 2022 Public Workshop