Basin Planning

• Overview of the Basin Planning Program, 94 KB, PDF (PDF Info)
  For more information, contact Betty Yee at (916) 464-4643 or by email at byee@waterboards.ca.gov.

Basin Plans

Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins

• Chapters 1 through 5 (rev Oct 2011), 942 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  This is a complete version of the current basin plan. If you are updating an earlier version of the fourth edition, you may use the following sets of revised pages to replace pages from your earlier version:
• Revised Pages, September 2004, 295 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between September 1998 and September 2004. Use these pages to update the September 1998 version of the fourth edition.
• Revised Pages, August 2006, 729 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between September 2004 and August 2006. Use these pages to update the September 2004 version of the fourth edition. Please note that there is a new appendix which must be downloaded separately: Appendix 41, 131 KB, PDF (PDF info)
• Revised Pages, February 2007, 336 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between August 2006 and February 2007. Use these pages to update the August 2006 version of the fourth edition.
• Revised Pages, October 2007, 291 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between February 2007 and October 2007. Use these pages to update the February 2007 version of the fourth edition. Please note that there is a new appendix which must be downloaded separately: Appendix 42, 684 KB, PDF (PDF info)
• Revised Pages, September 2009, 215 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between October 2007 and September 2009. Use these pages to update the October 2007 version of the fourth edition.
• Revised Pages, October 2011, 616 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between September 2009 and October 2011. Use these pages to update the September 2009 version of the fourth edition. Please note that there is a new appendix which must be downloaded separately: Appendix 43, 315 KB, PDF (PDF info)
• Appendix, Part 1, 712 KB, PDF (PDF info)
• Appendix, Part 2, 5.28 MB*, PDF (PDF info)
• USEPA Action Letter on Amendments to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Basin Plan, 963 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  This letter contains USEPA approvals and disapprovals, pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act, of amendments contained in the 2nd and 3rd Editions of the Basin Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins.
• Triennial Review Workplan, 103 KB, PDF (PDF info)
  Adopted by the Regional Board on 13 October 2011 in Resolution No. R5-2011-0074. For more information, contact Betty Yee at (916) 464-4643 or by email at byee@waterboards.ca.gov.

Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin

• Chapters 1 through 6 (rev. Jan 2004 with approved amendments), 528 KB,PDF (PDF info)
  This is a complete version of the current basin plan. If you are updating an earlier version of the second edition, you may use the following sets of revised pages to replace pages from your earlier version:
• Figure II-1, Tulare Lake Hydrologic Basin Planning Area, 2.9 MB*,PDF (PDF info)
• Figure II-2, Tulare Lake Basin Detailed Analysis Units, 980 KB,PDF (PDF info)
• Revised pages, 160 KB,PDF (PDF info)
  These are the pages that have been revised between August 1995 and January 2004. Use these pages to update the 1995 version of the second edition.
• Triennial Review Workplan
  Adopted by the Board on 18 March 2010 with Resolution No. R5-2010-0023. For more information, contact Anthony Toto at (559) 445-6278 or by email at atoto@waterboards.ca.gov.

Triennial Reviews

• Current Triennial Reviews
• Old Triennial Reviews

Region-wide Basin Planning Efforts

• Salinity Plan Development
• Variance Policy and Interim Salt Program
  Staff is proposing to a variance policy consistent with 40 CFR 131.13 and an interim salt program to provide relief from salinity requirements while CV-SALTS is in progress.
• Non-Regulatory Amendments to Provide a Cost Estimate and Potential Sources of Financing for a Long-Term Irrigated Lands Program

Basin Plan Amendments Associated with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Basin Plan amendments are also proposed in association with TMDLs developed to address impaired water bodies. This link takes you to a list of TMDLs (water body and pollutant pairs) currently being worked on by Regional Board staff, where you can find more information on these Basin Plan amendments.

• Control of Mercury in Clear Lake
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 6 December 2002 in Resolution No. R5-2002-0207, 156 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 2 October 2003.
• Clear Lake Nutrient TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 23 June 2006 in Resolution No. R5-2006-0060, 55 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 12 July 2007
• Cache Creek, Bear Creek, Sulphur Creek, and Harley Gulch Mercury TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 21 October 2005 in Resolution No. R5-2005-0146, 173 KB, PDF (PDF info) effective 6 February 2007.
• Central Valley Organochlorine Pesticide TMDL and Basin Plan Amendment
• Central Valley Pesticide TMDL and Basin Plan Amendment
• Diazinon in the Sacramento and Feather Rivers
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 16 October 2003 in Resolution No. R5-2003-0148, 45 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 11 August 2004.
• 2007 Diazinon in the Sacramento and Feather Rivers
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 3 May 2007 in Resolution No. R5-2007-0034, 112 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 11 August 2008.
• Sacramento San Joaquin Delta Mercury TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 22 April 2010 in Resolution No. R5-2010-0043, 1.63 MB*,PDF (PDF info), effective 20 October 2011.
• Sacramento San Joaquin Delta Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 23 June 2006 in Resolution No. R5-2006-0061, 704 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 10 October 2007
• San Joaquin River Organophosphorus (OP) Pesticide TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 21 October 2005 in Resolution No. R5-2005-0138, 382 KB, PDF (PDF info) effective 20 December 2006.
• San Joaquin River Dissolved Oxygen TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 27 January 2005 in Resolution No. R5-2005-0005, 280 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 23 August 2006.
• San Joaquin River at Vernalis Salinity and Boron TMDL
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 10 September 2004 in Resolution No. R5-2004-0108, 397 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 28 July 2006.
• San Joaquin River Upstream Salinity and Boron TMDL
• Sulphur Creek Mercury TMDL and Basin Plan Amendment
  Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 16 March 2007 in Resolution No. R5-2007-0021, 31 KB, PDF (PDF info) effective 4 September 2009.

Non-TMDL Basin Plan Amendments

Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins

• Drinking Water Policy
  Development of a policy to protect and enhance drinking water uses for surface waters in the Central Valley
• Groundwater in the Vicinity of the Hodson/Littlejohns Faults, Calaveras County
  Staff is considering regulatory options for addressing high-salinity groundwater in the vicinity of the Hodson/Littlejohns Faults in Calaveras County.
  
• Beneficial Uses for Old Alamo Creek, Solano County
  Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins to Dedesignate four beneficial uses of Old Alamo Creek. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 28 April 2005 in Resolution No. R5-2005-0053, 94 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 7 August 2006.
• Alamo Creek, Ulatis Creek and Cache Slough, Solano County
  Establishment of site-specific water quality objectives for three trihalomethanes for New Alamo and Ulatis Creeks.  Also, addition of implementation provisions for point source dischargers to Old Alamo Creek.  Status: Adopted by the Regional Water Quality Control Board on 27 May 2010 in Resolution No. R5-2010-0047, 85 KB, PDF (PDF info). Before becoming effective, these amendments must be approved by the State Water Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
• Powell Slough and Unnamed Tributary to Powell Slough, Colusa County
• Salinity and Boron Basin Plan Amendment for the Lower San Joaquin River
  Staff is proposing to adopt new water quality objectives for salinity and boron in the lower San Joaquin River and an implementation plan to achieve compliance.
• pH and Turbidity Water Quality Objectives
  Revise the water quality objectives for pH and Turbidity. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 25 October 2007 in Resolution No. R5-2007-0136, 40 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 7 July 2009.
• West Squaw Creek, Shasta County
  Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan For The Sacramento River And San Joaquin River Basins to remove specific designated, but not existing, beneficial uses for West Squaw Creek, a tributary to Lake Shasta and the Sacramento River. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 9 July 2004 in Resolution No. R5-2004-0090, 148 KB, PDF (PDF info). Before becoming effective, this amendment must be approved by the State Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
• pH and Turbidity Site Specific Water Quality Objectives for Deer Creek, El Dorado and Sacramento Counties
  Adds site specific pH and Turbidity water quality objectives for Deer Creek in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 19 July 2002 in Resolution No. R5-2002-0127, 15 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 21 October 2003.
• Site Specific Water Quality Objectives for Temperature at Deer Creek in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties
  Adds site specific temperature objectives for Deer Creek, tributary to the Consumnes River. Adopted by the Regional Board on 31 January 2003 in Resolution No. R5-2003-0006, 57 KB, PDF (PDF info) and 16 September 2005 in Resolution No. R5-2005-0119, 68 KB, PDF (PDF info). This amendment became effective 17 May 2006.
• Amendment to the Basin Plan for Bacteria
  Updates the water quality objectives for bacteria to use an E. coli pathogen indicator rather than fecal coliform. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 6 September 2002 in Resolution No. R5-2002-0150, 35 KB, PDF (PDF info). Before becoming effective, this amendment must be approved by the State Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
• Non Regulatory Amendments to Correct Editing Errors and Update Language, 2009
  Amends the Basin Plan to correct an error in the beneficial uses of the Marsh Creek and Marsh Creek Reservoir that occurred in drafting the third edition of the basin plan and an error in the water quality objectives for boron that occurred in drafting the fourth edition of the basin plan. Staff also proposes to update the references to the State Water Board’s Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary, include the State Water Board’s Water Quality Enforcement Policy, the Nonpoint Source Implementation and Enforcement Policy, and the Compliance Schedule Policy, revise the waiver discussion to be consistent with the current California Water Code, and other language updates. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 13 August 2009 in Resolution No. R5-2009-0069, 535 KB, PDF (PDF info), effective 18 May 2011.
• Amendment to the Basin Plan for Designating Beneficial Uses and Non-Regulatory changes
  Clarifies that federal and state regulations will be followed when designating or changing beneficial uses; removes inaccurate description of the federal antidegradation language; updates and removes obsolete references; and edits the water quality objective for bacteria in ground water. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 6 September 2002 in Resolution No. R5-2002-0151, 62 KB, PDF (PDF info), and on 31 January 2003 in Resolution No. R5-2003-0007, 6 KB, PDF (PDF info) effective 7 July 2009. Portion that removes inaccurate description of the federal antidegradation language and updates and removes obsolete references has been approved by State Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency. This portion is effective 27 January 2004.

Tulare Lake Basin

• Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin for Bacteria
  Updates the water quality objectives for bacteria to use an E. coli pathogen indicator rather than fecal coliform. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 17 October 2002 in Resolution No. R5-2002-0176, 31 KB, PDF (PDF info). Before becoming effective, this amendment must be approved by the State Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency
• Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin for the Clarification, Consistency, and Updating of the Language
  Staff is proposing to add or edit language of the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin to provide clarification of existing regulations and consistency with the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Basin. Status: Adopted by the Regional Board on 17 October 2002 in Resolution No. R5-2002-0177, 54 KB, PDF (PDF info). Before becoming effective, this amendment must be approved by the State Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Portion that removes inaccurate description of the federal antidegradation language and updates and removes obsolete references has been approved by State Board, Office of Administrative Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency. This portion is effective 28 January 2004.

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--Web page last updated 12/02/2011