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The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2012-13

REGULATE: WASTE DISCHARGES TO LAND - WDR

GROUP: INDUSTRIAL WASTE WDR FACILITIES
MEASURE: NUMBER OF PERMITS ADOPTED OR RENEWED
NUMBER OF PERMITS PAST RENEWAL DATE AS OF END OF FISCAL YEAR 2012-13
MESSAGE:   58% of the Industrial permits are current

MEASUREMENTS  - Data Last Updated on: 

 

WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING

The number of facilities with a permit past the review date is relatively high compared to the total number of industrial facilities regulated under the program. Only 58% of the permits for industrial facilities have been reviewed/updated in accordance within the recommended frequency. Although 372 (compared to 363 in FY 11-12, 364 in FY 10-11, 485 in FY 09-10 and 374 in FY 08-09) permits need to be renewed, only 67 permits were reissued or reviewed during fiscal year 12-13. The backlog of expired permits varies among the different regional boards. Industrial facilities enrolled under a general permit are not considered past expiration date.

WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT

Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) are issued for the duration of the discharge and do not contain an expiration date. Regional Boards are authorized to review WDRs periodically pursuant to Section 13263(e) of the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. The State Legislature has found that many WDRs are out of date and therefore do not reflect existing laws, regulations, and revised Water Quality Control Plans.  The Water Boards recommend that WDRs be reviewed on a frequency of five, ten or fifteen years, based on the discharger’s Threat to Water Quality (TTWQ). WDRs that have not been reviewed/updated are considered to be backlogged.   This measure describes the workload associated with existing permits.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

GLOSSARY

Industrial Sources
Facilities that treat and/or dispose of liquid or semisolid wastes from any servicing, producing, manufacturing or processing operations of whatever nature including mining, gravel washing, geothermal operations, air conditioning, ship building and repairing, oil production, storage and disposal operations, and water well pumping.

Waste Discharge Requirements Program
The Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) Program regulates all point source discharges of waste to land that do not require full containment (which falls under the Land Discharge Program), or are not subject to the NPDES Program.

Review/Update Actions
The Waste Discharge Requirements WDRs are to be reviewed according to a schedule based upon their Threat to Water Quality (TTWQ) Category as follows: TTWQ 1= Every 5 years, TTWQ 2= Every 10 years and TTWQ 3= Every 15 years. TTWQ 1 has the highest priority. There are three possible actions which may result from the WDR review/update process: rescission, continuance, or revision. A revision requires the issuance of a new WDR with a new adoption date. No formal Regional Board action is required to continue WDRs without change. A memorandum signed by the Regional Board Executive Officer (EO), documenting that the review concluded that the existing WDR is appropriate and that no changes are necessary at this time, is placed in the WDR file.

 

( Page last updated:  9/17/13 )

 
 

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