Gualala River Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

Announcements

The North Coast Water Board will be hosting two public California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) scoping meetings for the Gualala River TMDL Action Plan. The two meetings will include the same information but will provide an opportunity to join either online via a Zoom video conference call or in person in Annapolis, CA. The purpose of public CEQA scoping meetings is to gather public input on potential environmental impacts of actions that may result from the project.
The scoping meetings will be held as follows:

1. Monday June 3rd, 2024, from 12:00pm - 1:00pm PST, online via Zoom video conference call. Below is the Zoom meeting link, meeting ID, and passcode: https://waterboards.zoom.us/j/98703888597?pwd=cythTjh1dzlBM1JRR1NyU25oRGRzUT09
   
   Meeting ID: 987 0388 8597
   Passcode: 647509
   
   
2. Wednesday June 5th, 2024, from 5:30pm - 6:30pm PST. The meeting location will be in the Hickory Room at Horicon School - 35555 Annapolis Rd. Annapolis, CA, 95412.

Additional meeting information can be found in the Meeting Notice linked below:

Gualala River Sediment TMDL Action Plan CEQA Scoping Meeting Notice

An initial draft CEQA checklist has been prepared (linked below) which includes project background information, the proposed project description, potential reasonably foreseeable compliance measures, and an initial draft of potential environmental impacts (checklist). This list may be updated considering public comments received during CEQA Scoping:

Gualala River Sediment TMDL CEQA Draft Environmental Checklist

The public comment period for comments pertaining to CEQA will close at 5PM PST on Monday July 8th, 2024. Comments may be submitted via email to Nicholas.Fetherston@waterboards.ca.gov with the subject line: Gualala Sediment TMDL CEQA.

Please submit written comments to:
North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
Attn: Nicholas Fetherston, Environmental Scientist
5550 Skylane Blvd, Suite A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Alternatively, comments may be submitted via the Gualala CEQA Online Questionnaire at the following link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JWoY_kl95kGZQQXSKB02wRcW2GIHd2FHiFuhwl2DZAxUNlA4UU1MVlBJWlNBQ0JOUzBGTkxIUVJMMC4u

Quarterly Project Status Updates

• April 2024 Project Status Update
• January 2024 Project Status Update
• October 2023 Project Status Update

Gualala River TMDL Overview

The Gualala River is included on the Clean Water Act 303(d) list for impairments associated with excessive sediment and high temperatures. A TMDL addressing sediment impairments was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in December 2001. The Regional Water Board prepared a Technical Support Document (TSD) that addressed sources of sediment and temperature impairments, loading capacities, and load allocations necessary to restore sediment and temperature conditions supportive of beneficial uses related to the cold water fishery in the Gualala River Watershed. The TSD served as the basis for the USEPA's TMDLs.

The Gualala River Sediment TMDL was included in Resolution R1-2004-0087, Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Policy for Sediment Impaired Receiving Waters in the North Coast Region, adopted by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in November 2004. The text of the resolution may be viewed by clicking here.

Regional Water Board staff are currently developing an action plan to address continuing water quality impairments in the Gualala River watershed. The goal of this action plan is to improve the quality of waters in the Gualala River watershed so that water quality standards are attained and beneficial uses of those waters are fully supported.

• Gualala River TMDL Action Plan Fact Sheet

• Final TMDL (PDF) (22 pp, 108K)
• Summary of Comments and Responses (11 pg, 26K)

• Gualala River Watershed Technical Support Document for the TMDL for Sediment
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