Utility Wildfire General Order

Utility Wildfire and Similar Operations and Maintenance Activities Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification and Waste Discharge Requirements General Order (Utility Wildfire General Order)

The State Water Board adopted the Utility Wildfire General Order (General Order) and related Environmental Impact Report on October 20, 2026. The General Order covers electric utility wildfire prevention, response, and other similar routine operation and maintenance activities that may cause or threaten to cause a discharge of waste to waters of the state. This General Order is both (1) a Clean Water Act section 401 Certification and Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) for projects that include the discharge of dredged or fill material, and (2) Waste Discharge Requirements for projects that discharge or propose to discharge waste, other than dredged or fill material, that could affect the quality of surface waters of the state.

The General Order and Attachments are available for download below. A video recording of the Board Meeting for the adoption is available. Please note that the effective date of the General Order is October 20, 2027.

• General Order (Main Body)
  • Attachment A: Comparison of General Order Coverage and Non-Notifying Submission Requirements
  • Attachment B1: Notice of Intent Form
  • Attachment B2: Notice of Intent Instructions
  • Attachment C: Regional Water Board Boundary Map
  • Attachment D: Erosion and Sediment Control Plans Inspections and Reporting
  • Attachment E: Report and Notification Requirements
  • Attachment F: Signatory Requirements
  • Attachment G: Glossary
• Final Environmental Impact Report (Main Body)
  • Draft Environmental Impact Report
  • Appendix A: Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations
  • Appendix B: Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program

Contact Information: For general questions and inquiries please contact Robert Stoddard at Robert.Stoddard@waterboards.ca.gov or Shawn Agarwal at Shawn.Agarwal@waterboards.ca.gov.

Historical Documents Prior to Adoption

The State Water Board prepared the Utility Wildfire General Order, Responses to Comments on the March 28, 2025 draft Utility Wildfire General Order, and the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for consideration of adoption. These documents are available below.

Revised Document Links: – Posted on September 21, 2026, for Consideration of Board Adoption on October 20, 2026

• Revised General Order (Main Body) (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
• Revised Responses to Comments on the March 28 2025 Revised Draft Utility Wildfire General Order (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)

Document Links: – Posted on July 17, 2026 for Consideration of Board Adoption on October 20, 2026

• General Order (Main Body) (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment A: Comparison of General Order Coverage and Non-Notifying Submission Requirements (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment B1: Notice of Intent Form (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment B2: Notice of Intent Instructions (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment C: Regional Water Board Boundary Map (Clean PDF)
  • Attachment D: Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Inspections and Reporting (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment E: Report and Notification Requirements (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment F: Signatory Requirements (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment G: Glossary (Clean PDF | Redlined Word Doc)
• ⇒ Responses to Comments on the March 28 2025 Revised Draft Utility Wildfire General Order
• Final Environmental Impact Report (Main Body)
  • Draft Environmental Impact Report
  • Appendix A: Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations
  • Appendix B: Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program

The State Water Board previously accepted written comments on the revised draft Utility Wildfire General Order from March 28 to April 29, 2025. Key dates and historical document links are provided below.

Key Dates:

• Board Meeting for Consideration of Adoption on October 20, 2026
• Public Notice Issued for Consideration of Board Adoption on July 17, 2026
• Public Comment Period – March 28 to April 29, 2025Public Outreach Meeting – April 23, 2025 1 - 3p.m.
  • Public Outreach Meeting Slides
  • Public Outreach Meeting Recorded Video
• Staff Workshop – July 23, 2024
  • Staff Workshop Presentation Slides
  • Staff Workshop Recorded Meeting
• Board Hearing – August 20, 2024

Historical Document Links: – Posted on March 28, 2025

• Public Notice
• Responses to Comments on the June 28, 2024, Draft Utility Wildfire General Order and Draft Environmental Impact Report
• Revised Draft Utility General Order (Main Body) (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment A: Comparison of General Order Coverage and Non-Notifying Submission Requirements (Clean PDF)
  • Attachment B1: Notice of Intent (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment B2: Notice of Intent Instructions (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment C: Regional Water Board Boundary Map (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment D: Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Inspections and Reporting (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment E: Report and Notification Requirements (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment F: Signatory Requirements (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)
  • Attachment G: Glossary (Clean PDF| Redlined Word Doc)

Historical Document Links: – Posted on June 28, 2024

• Draft Utility General Order (Main Body)
  • Attachment A1: Notice of Intent Form
  • Attachment A2: Notice of Intent Instructions
  • Attachment B: Regional Water Board Map
  • Attachment C: Controllable Sediment Discharge Sources Monitoring Form
  • Attachment D: Reporting and Notification Requirements
  • Attachment E: Signatory Requirements
  • Attachment F: Glossary
• Draft Environmental Impact Report (Main Body)
  • Appendix A: Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations
  • Appendix B: Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
  • Appendix C: General Order