CV-SALTS
Agriculturally Dominated Water Bodies Evaluation

Municipal and Domestic Supply (MUN) Beneficial Use Project

To request a copy of documents listed on this page, please contact Anne Walters at Anne.Walters@waterboards.ca.gov

  Current Events

Table of Contents

Background

Via the Sources of Drinking Water Policy (88-63), the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Basin Plans (Basin Plans) designate MUN beneficial use to all water bodies unless they are specifically listed as water bodies that are not designated with MUN. The Basin Plans state that waters designated for MUN must not exceed Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for chemical constituents, pesticides, and radionuclides. While 88-63 does contain exceptions for the MUN designation, to utilize the exception, the Basin Plans require ". . . a formal Basin Plan amendment and public hearing, followed by approval of such an amendment by the State Water Board and the Office of Administrative Law."

In recent years, the Central Valley Water Board issued permits to facilities that discharged wastewater to agricultural drains, and set limits in these permits designed to protect the MUN beneficial use despite thte fact that the agricultural drains presumptively met the exception criteria in the Sources of Drinking Water Policy. The high cost of compliance for these facilities caused the Board to focus on developing a more streamlined approach for applying the exception criteria in the Sources of Drinking Water Policy, making this issue a priority in the Board's 2011 Triennial Review and the priority was reaffirmed by the Board in 2015.

Concurrently, the Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS) initiative identified that there was a need to evaluate the way the Board regulated the MUN beneficial use in agriculturally (Ag) dominated water bodies. CV-SALTS partnered with the Board to provide funding for water quality monitoring and environmental and economic analyses for a MUN evaluation project.

A stakeholder group, including representatives from federal and state agencies, public water systems, municipalities, environmental and Ag interests, met to contribute to the development of amendments to address both the Sacramento case studies and region-wide MUN evaluation effort.

On April 16, 2015, the Central Valley Water Board adopted Resolution R5-2015-0022 amending the Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins to remove the MUN beneficial use in twelve constructed and/or modified water bodies in the Sacramento River Basin (Sacramento case study). The amendment was approved by the State Water Board and Office of Administrative Law (OAL) later in 2015 and the final approval was provided by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) on April 21, 2016.

Following the successful adoption of the Sacramento case study, the region-wide MUN evaluation project was adopted on August 10, 2017 by the Central Valley Water Board (Resolution R5-2017-0088). This basin plan amendment will establish a region-wide MUN use evaluation process in Ag dominated surface water bodies and remove the MUN beneficial use from 231 constructed or modified Ag drains in the San Luis Canal Company. The basin plan amendment is currently going through the State Water Board adoption process and will be followed with the OAL and USEPA adoption processes.

Region-wide MUN Evaluation Process Basin Plan Amendment

The State Water Resources Control Board is currently accepting comments on Amendments to Establish a Region-wide Municipal and Domestic Supply (MUN) Beneficial Use Evaluation Process in Agriculturally Dominated Surface Water Bodies and to Remove the MUN Beneficial Use From 231 Constructed or Modified Ag Drains in the San Luis Canal Company District.

State Water Board Action

  • Agenda - 10 July 2018 Board Meeting
  • Response to Comments
    • Attachment A
  • Comments Received on the Approval of the Amendments:
    • Alameda County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, Zone 7 and Contra Costa Water District
    • Kern River Watershed Caolition Authority
    • Minasian, Meith, Soares, Sexton & Cooper, LLP
    • Saxton & Associates, Environmental Law Foundation, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Pesticide Action Network—North America, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations Institute for Fishery Resources, Environmental Working Group, Community Water Center, Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability, and Clean Water Fund
  • Revised Notice of Opportunity to Comment, 26 October 2017
  • Notice of Opportunity to Comment, 28 September 2017

Central Valley Water Board Action

10/11 August 2017 Central Valley Board Meeting

  • Final Central Valley Water Board Resolution (R5-2017-0088) - Includes Final Basin Plan Amendment Language
  • Final Staff Report
    • No Peer Review Justification (Appendix K)
    • Environmental Checklist (Appendix L)
  • Board Hearing Presentation
  • CEQA Filing Fee No Effect Determination
  • Notice of Public Hearing - Revised Date *Second Hearing Moved from June to August Board Meeting*
    • Aviso Sobre Audiencia Pública - Cambio de Fecha
  • Draft Resolution
  • Draft Staff Report and Proposed Amendment - Amended Markup Version
    • Cover, Executive Summary, Basin Plan Amendment Language, Table of Contents
    • Main Report
    • Appendix A - Water Body Categorization Report Template
    • Appendix B - Summary Information for San Luis Canal Company Surface Water Bodies
    • Appendix C - Constituents of Concern in Lower San Joaquin River
    • Appendix D - Lower San Joaquin River Water Comprehensive Monitoring Guide
    • Appendix E - Staff Review of San Luis Canal Company Water Body Categorization Report
    • Appendix F - Year-Round Closed Controlled Recirculating System Application Template
    • Appendix G - Seasonally Closed Controlled Recirculating System Application Template
    • Appendix H - Evaluation of Region-wide MUN Evaluation Process Project Alternatives and Options
    • Appendix I - Evaluation of LMUN Water Quality Objectives Options
    • Appendix J - Staff Review Process Checklist
    • Appendix K - No Peer Review Justification
    • Appendix L - Environmental Checklist
  • Full Draft Staff Report and Proposed Amendment – Amended CLEAN Version
  • Response to Public Comments:
    • Main Document
    • Appendix A - Response to Inserted Comments and Track Changes in draft Staff Report by the Sacramento River Source Water Protection Program
  • Late Revisions
  • Division of Drinking Water Memo on Region-wide MUN Evaluation Process

23/24 February 2017 Central Valley Board Meeting

  • Notice of Opportunity to Comment, Public Hearing, and Filing
    *Written Comment Period Extended to 24 March 2017*
  • Aviso Sobre Oportunidad Para Dar Comentarios, Audiencia Pública, Y Registro
  • Board Hearing Presentation
  • Draft Staff Report:
    • Cover, Executive Summary, Basin Plan Amendment Language, Table of Contents
    • Main Report
    • Appendix A - Water Body Categorization Report Template
    • Appendix B - Summary Information for San Luis Canal Company Surface Water Bodies
    • Appendix C - Constituents of Concern in Lower San Joaquin River
    • Appendix D - Lower San Joaquin River Water Comprehensive Monitoring Guide
    • Appendix E - Staff Review of San Luis Canal Company Water Body Categorization Report
    • Appendix F - Year-Round Closed Controlled Recirculating System Application Template
    • Appendix G - Seasonally Closed Controlled Recirculating System Application Template
    • Appendix H - Evaluation of Region-wide MUN Evaluation Process Project Alternatives and Options
    • Appendix I - Evaluation of LMUN Water Quality Objectives Options
    • Appendix J - Staff Review Process Checklist
    • Appendix K - No Peer Review Justification
    • Appendix L - Environmental Checklist
  • Supplemental Reference Documents:
    • 2016 San Luis Canal Company Categorization Report
    • 1992 Inland Surface Water Plan (ISWP) Staff Report
      • ISWP Report Appendix B, Basin Summaries
      • Template for Water and Drainage Districts
      • ISWP District Example Report
      • ISWP Watershed Example Report
    • 1995 Agricultural Waters Task Force Report (part 4 of the 1995 Reports of the Public Advisory Task Forces to the State Water Resources Control Board)
  • Comments Received on the Draft Staff Report:
    • Sacramento River Source Water Protection Program
      • Draft Staff Report
      • Appendix A
      • Appendix F
      • Appendix G
      • Appendix H
      • Appendix I
      • Appendix J
      • Appendix K
      • Appendix L
    • California Rice Commission
    • California Urban Water Agencies
    • San Joaquin Tributaries Authority
    • Turlock Irrigation District
    • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX
    • Valley Water Management Company
    • African-American Farmers of California, Buena Vista Coalition, California Citrus Mutual, California Cotton Ginners & Growers Association, California Fresh Fruit Association, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, California Farm Bureau Federation, East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, Kaweah Basin Water Quality Association, Kern River Watershed Coalition Authority, Nisei Farmers League, Western Agriculture Processors Association, Western Growers Association, Western Plant Health Association, Westside San Joaquin River Watershed Coalition
    • California Farm Bureau Federation
    • California Safflower Growers Association
    • Central Valley Clean Water Association and California Association of Sanitation Agencies
    • San Francisco Baykeeper, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Pesticide Action Network – North America, and Environmental Justice Coalition for Water

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Reference Documents

  • Fact Sheet
  • Historic Studies
    • Inland Surface Water Plan Staff Report
      • ISWP Report Appendix B, Basin Summaries
      • Template for Water and Drainage Districts
      • ISWP District Example Report
      • ISWP Watershed Example Report
    • Agricultural Waters Task Force Report (part 4 of the 1995 Reports of the Public Advisory Task Forces to the State Water Resources Control Board)
  • Project Work Plan
    • Draft Work Plan Summary (March 2013)
    • Draft Work Plan (March 2013)
  • Other
    • Water Quality-Based Assessment Thresholds
    • State Implementation Policy (SIP)