About Us
Water Board's Mission
To preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of the North Coast’s water resources for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses for the benefit of present and future generations.
North Coast Water Board Vision
The Vision Statement of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is “Healthy Watersheds, Effective Regulation, Strong Partnerships”
The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board oversees the protection and restoration of surface and ground water resources in the North Coast Region. Staff endeavor to craft regulations that are effective and impactful in protecting water quality. We recognize that the water quality challenges facing the region will only be solved through the engagement and actions of the region’s diverse communities, organizations, tribes, and federal, state, and local agencies.
Racial Equity
The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is working toward a future where our mission and vision to preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of California’s water resources is implemented in a manner that achieves equitable outcomes for all present and future generations. We envision a California where: race is not a predictor of the water and sanitation access a person receives; race is not a predictor of professional outcomes nor the composition of the North Coast Water Board’s staff, and a racial equity lens is consistently applied to the North Coast Water Board decision-making process.
Rugged coastline, fertile valleys, and forest lands characterize the North Coast Region, which is home to numerous tribes, diverse communities, and critical fish and wildlife resources. The region stretches from Marin County to the Oregon border and east to Modoc County, constituting 12 percent of the state’s land area, yet producing about 41 percent of the state’s annual runoff that feeds rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and replenishes groundwater. Its 340-mile-long coastline includes estuaries and environmentally sensitive areas protected by state law. The North Coast is a primarily rural region, where most pollution comes from non-point sources. Tourism, recreation, timber harvesting, aggregate mining, commercial and sport fisheries, sheep, beef and dairy production, vineyards, cannabis, and wineries represent the region's major economic sectors.
Additional details about our Region and our Vision Statement are available in our Fact Sheet, which can be viewed an downloaded by clicking here
Counties within the North Coast Region:
- Del Norte
- Glenn
- Humboldt
- Lake
- Marin
- Mendocino
- Modoc
- Siskiyou
- Sonoma
- Trinity
The Region at a glance
- Area Size (Square Miles): 20,000 miles
- Miles of Streams: 67,297 miles
- Miles of Coastline: 340 miles
- Acres of Lakes: over 27,000 acres
(Page last updated 5/20/25)
Water is a precious resource in California, and maintaining its quality is of utmost importance to safeguard the health of the public and the environment.
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