State Water Boards Bacterial Objectives

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is proposing a statewide bacteria water quality objectives and implementation options to protect recreational users from the effects of pathogens in California water bodies. The objectives and implementation options are proposed as a new part 3 of the Water Quality Control Plan for the Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California, and as an amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for Oceans Waters of California.

Timeline

• Project Timeline
  
  

  July 2014	January and February 2015	January 23, 2017	June 30, 2017	July 10, 2017	August 1, 2017	August 16, 2017	January 18, 2018	July 6, 2018	August 7, 2018
  Focus Group Outreach	CEQA Scoping	Scoping meeting on Water Quality Standards Variance	Public Comment period began	Staff workshop	State Water Board Public Hearing	Public Comment period ended	Release of the Proposed Final Provisions, Staff Report, and Comment Summary and Responses	Release of the Second Proposed Final Provisions, Staff Report, and Comment Summary and Responses	State Water Board Meeting - Adopted

  
  
• Effective Dates: The Bacteria Provisions are not yet in effect. The Provisions will become effective under state law upon approval by the Office of Administrative Law.  The water quality standards and policies that generally affect the application and implementation of water quality standards will not become effective for Clean Water Act purposes until approved by U.S. EPA.

Available Documents

Available Documents Associated with August 7, 2018 State Water Board Meeting

• Part 3 of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California—Bacteria Provisions and a Water Quality Standards Variance Policy - (dated August 7, 2018)
• Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Water of California—Bacteria Provisions and a Water Quality Standards Variance Policy - (dated August 7, 2018)
• Final Staff Report, Including Substitute Environmental Documentation - (dated August 7, 2018)
• Comment Summary and Response to Comments (Final)
• Signed Resolution No. 2018-0038
• Change Sheet No. 1
• Change Sheet No. 2
• Board Meeting Presentation
• August 7th Board Meeting Agenda
• Agenda Item
• Draft Resolution
• Second Revised Proposed Final Part 3 of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California—Bacteria Provisions and a Water Quality Standards Variance Policy - (posted 07/06/2018)
• Second Revised Proposed Final Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Water of California—Bacteria Provisions and a Water Quality Standards Variance Policy - (posted 07/06/2018)
• Second Revised Final Staff Report, Including Substitute Environmental Documentation - (posted 07/06/2018)
• First Revised Comment Summary and Response to Comments - (posted 07/06/2018)
• Updated Notice of Document Availability - (posted 07/06/2018)
• Notice of Rescheduled Board Meeting - (posted 06/22/2018)

Previously Released Documents

Focus Group Outreach

Focus Group Meeting were held to obtain early input on the scope of the proposed bacteria objectives.

• Focus Group Meeting Comment Matrix

Existing statutes and regulations

• Ocean Beaches AB 411, Chaptered into law in 1997 added Sections 115880-115915 to the California Health and Safety Code.
  These statutes (AB411 is the shorthand) are for the California beach water quality monitoring program that samples fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and provides public notification if it is safe to swim based at 476 California coastal and San Francisco Bay saltwater beaches.
• U.S. EPA Recreational Water Quality Criteria
  U.S. EPA's nationally recommended Recreational Water Quality Criteria (RWQC) protect human health in inland and coastal waters. The criteria are designed to protect primary contact recreation, such as swimming, surfing, and diving.
• CDPH Beaches and Recreational Waters
  The California Department of Public Health provides links to the Regulations (based on AB411 statutes) and guidance material to assist local health agencies in addressing microbiological contamination of fresh and saltwater beaches and recreational waters.
• US EPA Nationwide Bacteria Standards Protect Swimmers at Beaches
  A 2004 US EPA overview of the implementation of Beach safety programs nationwide based on the 2000 BEACH Act.

Staff Contacts

Subscribe to our email list Freshwater Plans and Policies under the Water Quality Section on this page: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/email_subscriptions/swrcb_subscribe.html to receive notifications, updates and other correspondence on this topic.