Utility Wildfire General Order

Project Subject
Utility Wildfire and Similar Operations and Maintenance Activities Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification and Waste Discharge Requirements General Order (Utility Wildfire General Order)

The State Water Board will hold a Board Meeting on August 19, 2026 to consider adoption of the Utility Wildfire General Order and related Environmental Impact Report. The Utility Wildfire General Order would regulate electric utility activities statewide that could impact water quality. Details on the Board Meeting are provided in the Public Notice issued on July 17, 2026:

The State Water Board has prepared the Utility Wildfire General Order, Responses to Comments on the March 28, 2025 draft Utility Wildfire General Order, and the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for consideration of adoption. These documents are available below.

Document Links: – Posted on July 17, 2026 for Consideration of Board Adoption on August 19, 2026

Development history prior to the July 17, 2026 Public Notice

The State Water Board previously accepted written comments on the revised draft Utility Wildfire General Order from March 28 to April 29, 2025. Key dates and historical document links are provided below.

Key Dates:

Historical Document Links: – Posted on March 28, 2025

Historical Document Links: – Posted on June 28, 2024

Ex Parte Disclosure
The Utility Wildfire General Order is subject to ex parte communication disclosure requirements of Water Code section 13287, as explained in a Memo from the Office of the Chief Counsel. Any communications between interested persons and Board Members (other than at a noticed Board Meeting or submitted as a comment letter in compliance with the public notice) must be disclosed by the interested person within seven days of the communication.