Clean Water Act Section 401 - Certification and Wetlands Program

WETLAND AND RIPARIAN AREA PROTECTION POLICY

• The State Water Board passed a resolution on April 15, 2008 directing work to begin on a statewide wetland and riparian area policy for future consideration. The policy will be developed in three phases, with the first phase due by mid-2009.
  • Board Resolution
  • Board Presentation (.ppt)
    
    
• Compensatory Mitigation Study
  The State Water Resources Control Board has released a comprehensive study that evaluates the effectiveness of the State's wetland regulatory program. The study found that the permit compliance was generally met and that overall wetland acreage was being maintained; however, the biological health of the these replacement wetlands was low. The study is titled "An Evaluation of Compensatory Mitigation Projects Permitted Under Clean Water Act Section 401 by the California State Water Resources Control Board, 1991-2002" by Richard F. Ambrose and Steven F. Lee of the University of California, Los Angeles, and John C. Callaway of the University of San Francisco.
• Executive Summary (1.96MB)
• Final Report (without Appendices) (1.71MB)
• Appendices (2.83MB)
• Full Report (5.49MB)
  
  
  
• CWA Section 401 Certification and Wetlands Program Web Page
  
  
• For more information on this topic, contact the State Water Board's, Division of Water Quality/Regulatory Unit, at :  (916) 341-5506.