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Cannabis Cultivation Waste Discharge Regulatory Program

  Upcoming Events!

  • Indoor Cultivation Outreach Event: 22 February 2024, 12pm
  • Prepping Site for Development Outreach Event: 28 March 2024, 12pm
  • Cannabis Cultivation Policy Requirements Outreach Event: 25 April 2024, 12pm
  • Road Design Outreach Event: 30 May 2024, 12pm

  Updates!

  • Notice: Please note that a new fee schedule was adopted.
    View the FY 23-24 fee schedule by risk and designation.
  • If you require enrollment for cannabis cultivation under the Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements and Waiver Discharge Requirements for discharges of waste associated with Cannabis Cultivation Activities register through the Application Portal.
  • If an enrollee needs to update enrollment information please complete the Change of Information Request Form and submit to the Central Valley Water Board.
  • If you are terminating your cannabis cultivation opportunities covered under R5-2019-0001, begin the process by submitting the required Notice of Termination. Before termination is completed a Site Closure Report and a final Annual Monitoring Report will need to be submitted. For more information about site Termination see the Cannabis General Order under Attachment C.
  • Information on the State Wide General Order and Policy can be found on the State Water Board's Cannabis web page.

Introduction

The Cannabis Cultivation Waste Discharge Regulatory Program addresses water quality impacts from cannabis cultivation and associated activities on private property in the Central Valley Region.

The program is designed to meet the requirements of the Central Valley's Basin Plans, the California Water Code, and the Clean Water Act. The Water Boards are the principal state agencies with primary responsibility for the coordination and control of water quality. Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, also known as polluted runoff, is the leading cause of water quality impairments in the Central Valley Region. Many streams in the Central Valley Region are impacted by excess sediment, nutrients, and elevated temperatures; and illegal surface water diversions intensify these water quality impacts. The Cannabis Cultivation Waste Discharge Regulatory Program has three main components: A General Order for Discharges of Waste Associated with Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation, Enforcement, and Education and Outreach.

  1. General Waste Discharge Requirements and Waiver Discharge Requirements for discharges of wastes associated with Cannabis Cultivation Activities
  2. Enforcement
  3. Education and Outreach