Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Program

The State Water Resources Control Board and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards have primary responsibility in California for the protection of water quality.  This involves preventing and reducing water pollution in our rivers, streams, lakes, beaches, bays, and in our groundwater.

In 1990, Congress passed new sections of law to improve and expand the Coastal Zone Act.  This additional legislation expanded the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards' partnership for reducing polluted runoff to include the California Coastal Commission (CCC).  This expansion strengthened the links between Federal and State coastal zone management and water quality programs.  The additional legislation involved is called the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments or CZARA.

CZARA requires California and other states to ensure that management practices which reduce or prevent polluted runoff are actually put into use or implemented.  To effectively reduce and prevent water pollution in California, we need to prevent polluted runoff from reaching our rivers, streams, lakes, beaches, bays, and our groundwater.  The management measures which can prevent or reduce water pollution are defined in CZARA as: "economically achievable measures for the control of the addition of pollutants from existing and new categories and classes of nonpoint (that is, types of polluted runoff) sources of pollution, which reflect the greatest degree of pollution reduction achievable through the application of best  available nonpoint pollution (polluted runoff)  control practices, technologies, processes,  siting criteria, operating methods or other  available alternatives."  More about these  management measures for coastal waters can be accessed through the USEPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/MMGI/

In February 1994, California initiated a  comprehensive review process to consider the  new  CZARA requirements and to update its existing  statewide NPS management program.  Updating the  existing program is more efficient (cost saving)  and effective for California's pollution prevention and reduction efforts than creating an entire new program to handle only coastal waters.