Adopted Amendments to the Basin Plan
The Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region (Basin Plan) contains the regulations adopted by the Regional Water Board to control the discharge of waste and other controllable factors affecting the quality of waters of the state within the boundaries of the North Coast Region. The Basin Plan is amended from time to time to incorporate new beneficial uses (CWC § 13050(f)), water quality objectives (CWC § 13241), and programs of implementation including monitoring programs (CWC § 13242)) and to conduct substantive and non-substantive revisions of existing language. Nonsubstantive amendments include editorial revisions. Substantive amendments include new and updated water quality standards and programs of implementation, such as TMDL Action Plans. The North Coast Water Board is the lead agency for evaluating the environmental impacts of substantive Basin Plan amendments pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Basin Plan amendments, which rely on science as the basis for the amendment, may also require review by a panel of scientific peer reviewers.
For Basin Plan amendments, which are new or revised water quality standards, requirements of the Clean Water Act also apply. In conformance with 40 CFR Part 131, U.S. EPA must determine if state-adopted water quality standards are:
- Consistent with the requirements of the Clean Water Act;
- Protective of beneficial uses;
- Legally adopted;
- Based on appropriate technical and scientific data and analyses; and
- In conformance with the definition of Water Quality Standards.
As a state regulation, any amendment to basin plan language must also meet the standard of review for regulations as described in Government Code Section 11349 including standards of: necessity, authority, clarity, consistency, reference, and nonduplication. The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) conducts this review following approval of an amendment by the State Water Board. Amendments to the Basin Plan are in effect upon approval by OAL.
Historic amendments to the Basin Plan that have gone through the full approval process and are incorporated into the current Basin Plan are listed in Appendix 1 of the Basin Plan.
Amendment Title |
Regional Board |
State Board |
OAL |
USEPA |
Project Webpage |
Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region to Incorporate Applicable Provisions of Statewide Plans and Policies and Improve Clarity |
NA |
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Action Plan for the Russian River Watershed Pathogen TMDL |
TBD |
TBD |
TBD |
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Action Plan for the Upper Elk River Sediment TMDL |
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Water Quality Objectives Update Amendment |
|
||||
Editorial Amendment of Chapter 3 |
NA |
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Editorial Amendment of Chapters 1 and 5 |
NA |
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Adopting Basin Plan Amendment for Policy in Support of Restoration in the North Coast Region |
NA |
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Policy in Support of Restoration in the North Coast Region |
NA |
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Policy for the Implementation of the Water Quality Objectives for Temperature |
NA |
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Policy Statement for Implementation of Temperature Objective |
NA |
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Action Plan to Address Elevated Water Temperatures in the Eel River Watershed |
NA |
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Action Plan to Address Elevated Water Temperatures in the Navarro River Watershed |
NA |
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Action Plan to Address Elevated Water Temperatures in the Mattole River Watershed |
NA |
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Incorporation of the statewide OWTS Policy into the Basin Plan |
NA |
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Action Plan for the Klamath River TMDL Addressing Temperature, DO, Nutrient, |
|
|
|||
Site Specific DO Objectives for the Klamath River in California |
|
|
|||
Action Plan for Low Threat Discharges and Storm Water Discharges |
|
NA |
Low Threat Discharges |
||
Action Plan for the Shasta River Watershed Temperature and DO TMDL |
|
|
|||
Action Plan for the Scott River Sediment and Temperature TMDLs |
|
NA |
|||
Sediment TMDL Implementation Policy |
NA |
||||
Update to Chapter 3, Summary of Anti-degradation Policies |
|
|
Anti-degradation Policy |
||
Schedule of Compliance Amendment |
R1-2004-0011 |
|
|
Schedule of Compliance |
|
Update to Chapter 2, Beneficial Uses |
|
|
Beneficial Uses |
||
Garcia River Watershed Water Quality Attainment Action Plan for Sediment |
R1-2001-072 |
|
|
||
Water Quality Attainment Strategy (TMDL) for Sediment in the Garcia River Watershed |
98-66 |
|
|
||
Policy on the Control of Water Quality with Respect to On-Site Waste Treatment |
96-16 |
|
NA |
||
Action Plan for Storm Water Discharges |
95-53 |
|
NA |
Storm Water Discharges |
|
Waste Discharge Prohibitions for the North Coastal Basin |
94-49 |
|
NA |
Waste Discharge Prohibitions |
|
Amendment to Update Description and Correct Inaccuracies |
93-89 |
|
|
1993 Amendment |
