Press Releases/Media Advisories – 2020


DESCRIPTION DATE CATEGORY Comunicado de Prensa en Español
Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board appoints Mike Plaziak to Executive Officer 12/21/2020 Region 6  
Healdsburg Resort Developer Fined $6.4 Million for Clean Water Act Violations 12/11/2020 Region 1 / Enforcement  
Aquatic toxicity plan will upgrade protections for fish, other aquatic life 12/02/2020 Water Quality  
Shasta County agrees to settlement for sewage spill and violations at Cottonwood Wastewater Treatment Plant 11/20/2020 Region 5 / Enforcement  
Central Valley Laboratory Fined for Delayed Reporting of Drinking Water Test Results
BC Laboratories, Inc. ordered to pay after repeatedly failing to notify water systems of acute contaminates
11/09/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
Butte County Property Owner Fined $193,088 for Water Quality Violations at Cannabis Grow Site 11/09/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
Danger Advisory Issued After Harmful Algal Blooms Detected at Mystic Lake
Visitors Advised to Avoid Water Contact
11/04/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
$2.5 Million Settlement Reached with Regional Water Board for 2015 Oil Spill in Santa Barbara County
Settlement agreement is one part of $60 million settlement
11/03/2020 Region 3 / Enforcement  
Garden Grove industrial facility penalized $1.14 million for soil, groundwater contamination
Owner, operator repeatedly ignored cleanup orders
10/26/2020 Region 8 / Water Rights  
City of Mount Shasta agrees to settlement for sewage spills and violations at wastewater treatment plant
Penalties will go towards preventing future spills and effluent violations
10/15/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
City of Berkeley receives 2020 pollution prevention award 10/14/2020 Region 2 / Water Quality  
Santa Ana Water Board delays decision on Orange County desalination project
Poseidon Waters requests more time to address concerns
09/15/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
Harmful algal blooms identified at Yucaipa Regional Park
Public should exercise caution when visiting waterways
09/15/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
North Coast Water Board to consider $6.4 million fine against luxury resort developer for Clean Water Act violations
December public hearing scheduled after settlement negotiations fail

09/15/2020

Region 1 / Water Quality  
Portal en línea ofrece información sobre cuerpos de agua con floraciones de algas nocivas
El estado aconseja al público que tenga cuidado al visitar vías fluviales este fin de semana
09/04/2020 Water Quality  
Online portal offers information on water bodies with harmful algal blooms throughout California
Public is advised to exercise caution when visiting waterways Labor Day weekend
09/03/2020 Water Quality  
Garberville Sanitary District to pay $40,000 for unauthorized bulk water sales
Purchasers hauled water to sites located outside the district’s “place of use”
08/28/2020 Water Rights Enforcement  
U.S. EPA settles with City of San Juan Bautista, Calif. over wastewater violations; City commits to major infrastructure improvements 08/27/2020 Region 3 / Water Quality  
ALERT to Fresno and Central Valley media
Individuals going door-to-door fraudulently impersonating State Water Board’s drinking water specialists in the Fresno area
08/26/2020 Office of Enforcement  
Phillips 66 San Francisco Refinery agrees to $285,000 Settlement for Discharge Violation 08/20/2020 Region 2 / Water Quality  
Public urged to avoid water at Big Bear Lake sites due to harmful algal blooms 08/20/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
Recreational advisory issued at Lake Isabella due to harmful algal bloom
Visitors should avoid water contact at many locations on lake
08/19/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
Annual Salton Sea workshop will be held remotely to comply with public health recommendations 08/17/2020 Water Rights  
Foul odors from Tulare County pistachio processing plant trigger cease and desist order 08/14/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
City of Galt agrees to six-figure settlement in sewage spill case 08/11/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
Santa Ana Water Board Postpones Decision on Huntington Beach Desalination Permit Renewal 08/07/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
Efforts to keep pollutants out of Lake Tahoe surpass targets
Challenges persist with reaching overall water clarity goals
08/06/2020 Region 6 / Water Quality  
Ribbon cutting marks new day for Tulare Co. community
The 480 residents of Seville had been under a boil water notice for years Event Scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday August 5
08/05/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
Harmful Algal Blooms Identified in Prado Regional Park Lake 08/03/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
State Water Board appointee Sean Maguire re-confirmed by State Senate 07/28/2020 State Water Board  
Harmful Algal Blooms Identified at Big Bear Lake 07/21/2020 Region 8 / Water Quality  
Monterey Mushroom, Inc. to pay $1.2 million for unauthorized wastewater discharges to local tributaries of Elkhorn Slough 07/20/2020 Region 3 / Water Quality  
Underground storage tank cleanup consultant Allterra Environmental settles with state over fraud allegations 07/17/2020 Office of Enforcement / Water Quality  
State Water Board launches 10-year effort to improve access to healthy drinking water 07/07/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
Dry weather prompts restrictions for some junior water right holders on the Scott River 06/19/2020 Water Rights  
State Water Board approves plan to provide $1.2 billion in loans for infrastructure projects 06/16/2020

Division of Financial Assistance

 
State Water Board addresses microplastics in drinking water to encourage public water system awareness 06/16/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
Lewis Land Developers to Settle Stormwater Violations at Placer County Construction Project 06/15/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
Two Central Valley Dairy Operators Cited for Violating Waste Management Practices 06/10/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
Recreational Water Users Urged to Be Vigilant About Harmful Algal Blooms 05/22/2020 Water Quality  
Dairy Operator Agrees to $57,024 Settlement for Dumping Dairy Wastewater on Cropland and Poor Waste Management Practices 05/21/2020 Region 5 / Water Quality  
State Water Board Adopts Regulations to Elevate Data Quality for CA Communities 05/06/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
Adoption of Policy Will Set Priorities and Guide Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund For Next Decade 05/05/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
$5 million Allocated for lead testing in California Child Care Centers 05/04/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
State Water Board Adopts Monthly Water Use Reporting Requirements 04/21/2020 Water Quality  
Chino-based Environmental Lab Fined $90,000 for False Representations in Reports 04/10/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
State Water Board Issues Key Documents That Further Efforts to Remove Klamath River Dams 04/04/2020 Water Rights  
SF Bay Water Board Orders North America’s Largest Mushroom Grower to Pay $911,000 For Polluted Stormwater Discharges 04/06/2020 Region 2 / Water Quality  
Governor Issues Water Shutoff Order and Takes Steps to Maintain Delivery of Critical Water Services During COVID-19 Crisis 04/02/2020 Drinking Water Programs Comunicado de Prensa en Español
The Public Advised to NOT Flush Disinfecting Wipes, Paper Towels down Toilet - Throw Them Away instead 03/17/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
Se Recomienda No Tirar Toallitas Disenfectantes o Toallas de Papel Por el Inodoro - Tiralos en la Basura 03/17/2020 Drinking Water Programs  
$1.5 Million Settlement for Multiple Sewage Spills to Mojave River Tributaries 02/16/2020 Region 6 / Water Quality  
City of Morgan Hill to Pay $433,366 for Four Sewage Spills to Llagas Creek 02/13/2020 Region 3 / Water Quality  
Two Laboratories Fined for Delayed Reporting of Drinking Water Test Results 02/13/2020 Drinking Water Enforcement  
Response Levels Lowered for Water Systems Statewide as PFAS Investigation Continues 02/06/2020 Drinking Water  
California Marks Key Step Toward Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Management 01/31/2020 Water Quality  
Climate Report Prompts Proposed Policy Changes to Protect San Francisco Bay and Outlying Areas 01/24/2020 Region 2 / Water Quality  
2020 Citizen Monitoring Calendar Makes History 01/15/2020 General  
San Diego Water Board Seeks $9 Million Penalty Against Baldwin & Sons for Illegal Discharges and Permit Violations 01/14/2020 Region 9 / Water Quality