California Water Quality Monitoring Council (CA Senate Bill 1070)

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• Background  |   Membership  |   Meetings  |   Products  |   Work Groups  |   More Information

Announcements

• Notice of Member Vacancy representing Citizen Monitoring Groups

Background

In November 2007, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the Secretaries of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and the California Natural Resources Agency to establish the California Water Quality Monitoring Council (Monitoring Council). The MOU was mandated by CA Senate Bill 1070 (Kehoe, 2006) and requires the boards, departments and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and the California Natural Resources Agency to integrate and coordinate their water quality and related ecosystem monitoring, assessment, and reporting.

CA Senate Bill 1070 (Water Code Sections 13167 and 13181) and the MOU require that the Monitoring Council develop specific recommendations to improve the coordination and cost-effectiveness of water quality and ecosystem monitoring and assessment, enhance the integration of monitoring data across departments and agencies, and increase public accessibility to monitoring data and assessment information. While the Monitoring Council may recommend new monitoring or management initiatives, it will build on existing effort to the greatest extent possible.  The Monitoring Council published its initial recommendations in December 2008, and its recommendations for A Comprehensive Monitoring Program Strategy for California in December 2010.

• Monitoring Council Governance

Membership

The membership of the Monitoring Council is intended to represent a variety of water quality related interests. Monitoring Council members are selected by the Secretaries of the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and the Natural Resources Agency. The Monitoring Council has allowed each Member to designate and Alternate who would participate on those occasions when the Member is unable to participate in person.

• Cal/EPA (Co-Chair)
  • Jonathan Bishop, Chief Deputy Director
    State Water Resources Control Board
  • Alternate: Karen Larsen, Deputy Director
    Office of Information Management and Analysis
    State Water Resources Control Board
• Resources Agency (Co-Chair)
  • Dale Hoffman-Floerke, Deputy Director for Delta and Statewide Water Management
    California Department of Water Resources
  • Stephani Spaar, Chief, Office of Water Quality
    Division of Environmental Services
    California Department of Water Resources
• California Department of Public Health
  • Leah Walker, Chief
    Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management
  • Alternate: Paul Collins, Chief
    Data Systems Support Unit
    Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management
• Regulated Community - Publicly Owned Treatment Works
  • Mike Connor, General Manager
    East Bay Dischargers Authority
  • Alternate: Phil Markle, Environmental Scientist
    Water Quality and Soils Engineering
    Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County
• Regulated Community - Storm Water
  • Armand Ruby
    California Storm Water Quality Association and Armand Ruby Consulting
  • Alternate: Geoff Brosseau
    California Storm Water Quality Association
• Agriculture
  • Parry Klassen, Executive Director and Board Chairman
    East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition
• Citizen Monitoring Groups
  • John Norton, Vice President of the Board of Directors
    Sierra Streams Institute / Friends of Deer Creek
• Public
  • Sara Aminzadeh, Interim Executive Director
    California Coastkeeper Alliance
  • Alternate: Sean Bothwell, Policy Analyst
    California Coastkeeper Alliance
• Scientific Community
  • Steve Weisberg, Executive Director
    Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
  • Alternate: Ken Schiff, Deputy Director
    Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
• Water Supply
  • Sarge Green
    California Water Institute and Association of California Water Agencies
  • Alternate: Dave Bolland
    Association of California Water Agencies

Meetings

Meetings of the Monitoring Council are open to the public. Actions of the Monitoring Council are advisory to Cal/EPA and the Natural Resources Agency. Please visit our Meetings web page for details.

Products

• Fourth "My Water Quality" Portal Focuses on the Health of California's Streams and Rivers (06/18/12)
  • Media Release
  • Fact Sheet
  • Demonstration - recorded webinar from June 28, 2012
• 2011 Annual Progress Report of the Water Quality Monitoring Council (01/13/12)
• A Comprehensive Monitoring Program Strategy for California (12/28/10)
  • Press Release
  • Entire Strategy Report, Including Cover Letter and Appendices
  • Cover Letter and 2010 Progress Report
  • Strategy Report
    • Appendix 1: SB 1070 Requirements Matched to Recommended Comprehensive Monitoring Program Strategy Components
    • Appendix 2: California Water Quality Monitoring Council Annual Progress Report, December 2009
    • Appendix 3: Monitoring Council Governance
    • Appendix 4: Guidelines for Workgroups and the Development of My Water Quality Theme-Based Internet Portals
    • Appendix 5: SWAMP Monitoring and Assessment Strategy, Assessment Framework, and Needs Assessment
    • Appendix 6: California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup, Tenets of a State Wetland and Riparian Monitoring Program (WRAMP)
  • California Water Quality Monitoring Council Endorses Statewide Wetland Monitoring Strategy (06/22/10)
  • Third "My Water Quality" Portal Evaluates Quantity and Quality of California's Wetlands (3/16/09)
    • Press Release and Fact Sheet
    • California Wetlands Portal
  • 2009 Annual Progress Report of the Water Quality Monitoring Council
  • New “My Water Quality” Portal Evaluates Safety of Fish and Shellfish Consumption in California (12/08/09)
    • Press Release and Fact Sheet
    • Safe-to-Eat Fish and Shellfish Portal
  • California Water Quality Monitoring Council Unveils Internet Portals to Connect Decision Makers and the Public with Water Quality Information (7/28/09)
    
    • Press Release
    • Fact Sheet
    • My Water Quality Website
  • Monitoring Council Recommendations to Agencies, December 1, 2008
    • Transmittal Letter
    • Entire Report, Including Appendices (12/03/08)
    • Report only
    • Appendices only (12/03/08)
    • Presentation Slides
  • Preliminary Statewide Inventory of Monitoring Programs (12/03/08)

Work Groups

• Beach Water Quality Work Groups
• Bioaccumulation Oversight Group
• California Estuary Monitoring Workgroup
• California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup
• California Water Quality Monitoring Collaboration Network
• Data Management Workgroup
• Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program
• Healthy Streams Partnership
• Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe)
• Safe Drinking Water Workgroup

More Information

• Welcome to My Water Quality - Web Portals
  • My Water Quality Portals Fact Sheet
• For additional information on the California Water Quality Monitoring Council and CA Senate Bill 1070, please email Monitoring Council Coordinator Jon Marshack or phone (916) 341-5514.

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