| Water Body Name: | Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary |
| Water Body ID: | CAR6341003020171227031332 |
| Water Body Type: | River & Stream |
DECISION ID |
171732 |
Region 6 |
Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary |
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| Pollutant: | Benthic Community Effects |
| Final Listing Decision: | Do Not List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list) |
| Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: | Do Not List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list)(2018) |
| Revision Status | Revised |
| Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: | Pollutant |
| Regional Board Conclusion: | Benthic Community Effects are being considered for placement on the CWA section 303(d) List under sections 3.9 of the Listing Policy. Under section 3.9, additional lines of evidence (LOEs) associating the Benthic Community Effects decision with a water or sediment concentration of pollutants other than benthic-macroinvertebrate bioassessment or habitat assessment LOEs are necessary to place a water body on the 303(d) List for Benthic Community Effects. One line of evidence evaluating benthic-macroinvertebrate bioassessment data is available in the administrative record to assess this indicator. 2 of 5 benthic-macroinvertebrate samples exceed the California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) impairment threshold and indicate that the stream is 'very likely altered'. This exceedance frequency exceeds the allowable frequency as stipulated by section 3.9 of the Listing Policy. Bioassessment samples alone cannot support the addition of this pollutant/waterbody combination to the 303(d) list however. Water quality data pertaining to other water or sediment concentrations of pollutants are required to fully assess listing status. The Regional Board decision is to not list this waterbody at this time pending further water quality monitoring. It is likely that this waterbody segment is being degraded by regular operations at the Heavenly Mountain ski resort. The waterbody segment directly downstream of this waterbody, Heavenly Valley Creek (source to USFS boundary), will be listed during the 2018 cycle for benthic community effects as there is requisite benthic and water chemistry data to support the addition of the waterbody to the 303(d) list of impaired waters. The Regional Board has placed this waterbody segment on the bioassessment prioritization list for further investigation. Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is insufficient information to justify placing Benthic Community Effects in this waterbody segment on the CWA section 303(d) List, although the available data indicates that impairment in this waterbody reach is probable. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that: 1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy. 2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy. 3. 2 of 5 benthic-macroinvertebrate bioassessment samples had CSCI scores below 0.79. Therefore, this water body is exceeding the water quality threshold for the protection of the COLD beneficial use. Without further water quality data to assess the conditions in this waterbody segment it is not possible to fully assess listing status and the Regional Board decides not to list this waterbody segment at this time pending further investigation. 4. Pursuant to section 3.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are not met. |
| Regional Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be placed on the section 303(d) list. The readily available data and information is insufficient to determine, with the power and confidence of the Listing Policy, the applicable beneficial use support rating. |
| State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation: | |
| State Board Decision Recommendation: | |
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| LOE ID: | 352780 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Benthic-Macroinvertebrate Bioassessments | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Population/Community Degradation | ||||
| Matrix: | Water | ||||
| Fraction: | None | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Cold Freshwater Habitat | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 5 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 2 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Water Board staff assessed data for 634HVC-1 to determine beneficial use support and the results are as follows: 2 of 5 samples exceeded the water quality standard. CSCI scores were from 0.26 to 0.93 . | ||||
| Data Reference: | Benthic, Field, Habitat, WQ from the Total Maximum Daily Load for the 2026 Integrated Report in Region 6 | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | All waters shall be maintained free of toxic substances in concentrations that are toxic to, or that produce detrimental physiological responses in, human, plant, animal, or aquatic life. (Lahontan Basin Plan) | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region (as amended) | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | The California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) is a biological scoring tool that helps aquatic resource managers translate complex data about benthic macroinvertebrates found living in a stream into an overall measure of stream health. The CSCI score is calculated by comparing the expected condition with actual (observed) results (Rhen, A.C. et al., 2015). CSCI scores range from 0 (highly degraded) to greater than 1 (equivalent to reference). CSCI scoring of biological condition are as follows (per the scientific paper supporting the development of the CSCI scoring tool): greater than or equal to 0.92 = likely intact condition, 0.91 to 0.80 = possibly altered condition, 0.79 to 0.63 = likely altered condition, less than or equal to 0.62 = very likely altered condition. Sites with scores below 0.79 are considered to have exceeded the water quality objective for the aquatic life beneficial use.) | ||||
| Guideline Reference: | Bioassessment in complex environments: designing an index for consistent meaning in different settings | ||||
| Spatial Representation: | The samples were collected at 1 monitoring site: 634HVC-1 (Heavenly Valley Creek at Sky Meadows). | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | Samples were collected from 2011-08-29 to 2019-07-23. | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | |||||
| QAPP Information: | Heavenly Resort QAPP | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Lahontan Water Board - HeavenlyResortQAPP - HeavenlyValley_TMDL - 402557 | ||||
DECISION ID |
162727 |
Region 6 |
Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary |
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| Pollutant: | Chloride |
| Final Listing Decision: | Do Not List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list) |
| Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: | New Decision |
| Revision Status | Original |
| Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: | Pollution |
| Regional Board Conclusion: | This pollutant is being considered for placement on the CWA section 303(d) List under section 3.2 of the Listing Policy. Under section 3.2 a single line of evidence is necessary to assess listing status. One line of evidence are available in the administrative record to assess this pollutant. Zero of the 106 samples exceed the objective. Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is sufficient justification against placing this water segment-pollutant combination on the CWA section 303(d) List. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that: 1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy. 2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy. 3. Zero of 106 samples exceeded the objective and this does not exceed the allowable frequency listed in Table 3.2 of the Listing Policy. 4. Pursuant to section 3.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are not met. |
| Regional Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be placed on the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards are not being exceeded. |
| State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation: | |
| State Board Decision Recommendation: | |
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| LOE ID: | 338426 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Chloride | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water | ||||
| Matrix: | Water | ||||
| Fraction: | Dissolved | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Municipal & Domestic Supply | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 106 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 0 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Water Board staff assessed HeavenlyValley_TMDL data for Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary to determine beneficial use support and results are as follows: 0 of 106 samples exceeded the water quality threshold for Chloride. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Benthic, Field, Habitat, WQ from the Total Maximum Daily Load for the 2026 Integrated Report in Region 6 | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | The California Secondary MCL that is incorporated by reference in the Water Quality Control Plan, Lahontan Region for chloride is 250 mg/L (Water Quality Control Plan, Lahontan Region). | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region (as amended) | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | |||||
| Guideline Reference: | |||||
| Spatial Representation: | The samples were collected at 1 monitoring site: HVC-1a (Sky Meadows along Heavenly Valley Creek). | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | The samples were collected between the dates of 2015-07-16 and 2022-08-24 | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | |||||
| QAPP Information: | Heavenly Resort QAPP | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Lahontan Water Board - HeavenlyResortQAPP - HeavenlyValley_TMDL - 402557 | ||||
DECISION ID |
162728 |
Region 6 |
Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary |
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| Pollutant: | Nitrate/Nitrite (Nitrite + Nitrate as N) |
| Final Listing Decision: | Do Not List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list) |
| Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: | New Decision |
| Revision Status | Original |
| Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: | Pollution |
| Regional Board Conclusion: | This pollutant is being considered for placement on the CWA section 303(d) List under section 3.2 of the Listing Policy. Under section 3.2 a single line of evidence is necessary to assess listing status. One lines of evidence are available in the administrative record to assess this pollutant. Zero of the 110 samples exceed the objective. Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is sufficient justification against placing this water segment-pollutant combination on the CWA section 303(d) List. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that: 1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy. 2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy. 3. Zero of 110 samples exceeded the objective, and this does not exceed the allowable frequency listed in Table 3.2 of the Listing Policy. 4. Pursuant to section 3.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are not met. |
| Regional Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be placed on the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards are not being exceeded. |
| State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation: | |
| State Board Decision Recommendation: | |
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| LOE ID: | 338824 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Nitrate/Nitrite (Nitrite + Nitrate as N) | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water | ||||
| Matrix: | Water | ||||
| Fraction: | Dissolved | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Municipal & Domestic Supply | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 110 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 0 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Water Board staff assessed HeavenlyValley_TMDL data for Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary to determine beneficial use support and results are as follows: 0 of 110 samples exceeded the water quality threshold for Nitrate + Nitrite as N. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Benthic, Field, Habitat, WQ from the Total Maximum Daily Load for the 2026 Integrated Report in Region 6 | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | The California Maximum Contaminant Level for nitrate + nitrite (as N) that is incorporated by reference in the Water Quality Control Plan, Lahontan Region is 10.0 mg/L (Water Quality Control Plan, Lahontan Region). | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region (as amended) | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | |||||
| Guideline Reference: | |||||
| Spatial Representation: | The samples were collected at 1 monitoring site: HVC-1a (Sky Meadows along Heavenly Valley Creek). | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | The samples were collected between the dates of 2015-07-16 and 2022-08-24 | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | |||||
| QAPP Information: | Heavenly Resort QAPP | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Lahontan Water Board - HeavenlyResortQAPP - HeavenlyValley_TMDL - 402557 | ||||
DECISION ID |
162729 |
Region 6 |
Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary |
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| Pollutant: | Turbidity |
| Final Listing Decision: | Do Not List on 303(d) list (TMDL required list) |
| Last Listing Cycle's Final Listing Decision: | New Decision |
| Revision Status | Original |
| Impairment from Pollutant or Pollution: | Pollution |
| Regional Board Conclusion: | This pollutant is being considered for placement on the CWA section 303(d) List under section 3.2 of the Listing Policy. Under section 3.2 a single line of evidence is necessary to assess listing status. One line of evidence are available in the administrative record to assess this pollutant. Sixteen of the 110 samples exceed the WQ OBJECTIVE. Based on the readily available data and information, the weight of evidence indicates that there is sufficient justification against placing this water segment-pollutant combination on the CWA section 303(d) List. This conclusion is based on the staff findings that: 1. The data used satisfies the data quality requirements of section 6.1.4 of the Policy. 2. The data used satisfies the data quantity requirements of section 6.1.5 of the Policy. 3. 16 of 110 samples exceeded the WQ OBJECTIVE and this does not exceed the allowable frequency listed in Table 3.2 of the Listing Policy. 4. Pursuant to section 3.11 of the Listing Policy, no additional data and information are available indicating that standards are not met. |
| Regional Board Decision Recommendation: | After review of the available data and information, RWQCB staff concludes that the water body-pollutant combination should not be placed on the section 303(d) list because applicable water quality standards are not being exceeded. |
| State Board Review of Regional Board Conclusion and Recommendation: | |
| State Board Decision Recommendation: | |
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| LOE ID: | 340818 | ||||
| Pollutant: | Turbidity | ||||
| LOE Subgroup: | Pollutant-Water | ||||
| Matrix: | Water | ||||
| Fraction: | Total | ||||
| Beneficial Use: | Municipal & Domestic Supply | ||||
| Number of Samples: | 110 | ||||
| Number of Exceedances: | 16 | ||||
| Data and Information Type: | PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL MONITORING | ||||
| Data Used to Assess Water Quality: | Water Board staff assessed HeavenlyValley_TMDL data for Heavenly Creek, unknown tributary to determine beneficial use support and results are as follows: 16 of 110 samples exceeded the water quality threshold for Turbidity. | ||||
| Data Reference: | Benthic, Field, Habitat, WQ from the Total Maximum Daily Load for the 2026 Integrated Report in Region 6 | ||||
| SWAMP Data: | Non-SWAMP | ||||
| Water Quality Objective/Criterion: | Water designated as MUN shall not contain concentrations of chemical constituents in excess of the maximum contaminant level (MCL) or secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) based upon drinking water standards specified in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. The Lahontan Basin Plan also has regionwide turbidity objective for other beneficial uses that states: Waters shall be free of changes in turbidity that cause nuisance or adversely affect the water for beneficial uses. Increases in turbidity shall not exceed natural levels by more than 10%. | ||||
| Objective/Criterion Reference: | Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region (as amended) | ||||
| Evaluation Guideline: | California Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) apply to ambient surface waters under the Lahontan Basin Plan's 'Chemical Constituents' objective. The Secondary MCL for turbidity is 5 NTU. Calculation of a numeric objective for other beneficial uses requires comparison with upstream or other background data which may not be available as part of the data used for water quality assessment. | ||||
| Guideline Reference: | California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 4, Chapter 15. Domestic Water Quality and Monitoring | ||||
| Spatial Representation: | The samples were collected at 1 monitoring site: HVC-1a (Sky Meadows along Heavenly Valley Creek). | ||||
| Temporal Representation: | The samples were collected between the dates of 2015-07-16 and 2022-08-24 | ||||
| Environmental Conditions: | |||||
| QAPP Information: | Heavenly Resort QAPP | ||||
| QAPP Information Reference(s): | Lahontan Water Board - HeavenlyResortQAPP - HeavenlyValley_TMDL - 402557 | ||||