Regional Water Quality Control Board Research Articles

Regulation of Agricultural Drainage to San Joaquin River

A technical committee made up of staff from the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Region (Regional Board) has investigated water quality concerns in the San Joaquin River Basin related to agricultural drainage. They have reported back to the State Board on: (1) Proposed water quality objectives for the San Joaquin River Basin; (2) proposed effluent limitations for agricultural drainage discharges in the basin to achieve these objectives; and (3) a proposal to regulate these discharges. The costs and economic impact of achieving various alternative water quality objectives were also evaluated. The information gathered by the technical committee will be used by the Regional Board along with other information in their review of the San Joaquin River Basin Water Quality Control Plan and their actions to regulate agricultural drainage in the San Joaquin Valley. This paper summarizes the results of the Technical Committee's efforts as reported in “Regulation of Agricultural Drainage to the San Joaquin River,” August 1987.

886031 Groundwater quality modeling at Redlands/Crafton area : Chieh, S H; Wildermuth, M J; Ravishanker, P Proc Symposium on Engineering Hydrology, Williamsburg, 3–7 August 1987P455–460. Publ New York: ASCE, 1987

Organic groundwater contamination exists in the Redlands area of the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin which is of major concern to the health and water agencies in the region. The contaminants found are trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,1-dichlorethylene (DCE), perchloroethylene (PCE) and dibromochloropropane (DBCP). Groundwater elevations were measured in the area of interest and limited water quality parameters were measured or obtained from Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to establish initial condition. A finite element groundwater flow model and a finite element particle- tracking model was used to predict the movement of groundwater and contaminants. The model was used to predict the movement of contaminants with time and also to evaluate the impacts in groundwater quality due to the remedial alternatives considered. The alternatives include pumping of contaminated groundwater at different pumping rates and locations.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES FOR AGRICULTURAL AND SILVICULTURAL NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION CONTROL IN CALIFORNIA AND WISCONSIN1

ABSTRACT: In the absence of detailed outlines such as those characteristic of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit program, Nonpoint source pollution control is being initiated in a variety of ways in different states. In California, Regional Water Quality Control Boards play a strong enforcement role in point source control, but agricultural Nonpoint source needs are still being evaluated. Tentative approval of State Board of Forestry Forest Practice Rules by the State Water Resources Control Board has the potential of bringing Nonpoint control to all State and private forestry operations in the state. Wisconsin had developed an agricultural Nonpoint control program which emphasizes a state‐wide policy of selecting priority watersheds under the administration of the state Department of Natural Resources, and developing implementation programs under the guidance of local county Land Conservation Committees. The Priority Watershed program institutes BMP's with cost‐share funds authorized by the legislature. Wisconsin had not seen a problem in silvicultural activities, and has developed no statewide control program in that area. Common to effective land use control in both states is a state‐level policy implemented by agencies within the state. This pattern may be the model for successful programs as development of areawide management strategies continue.

Recycling Irrigation Runoff on Container Ornamentals

Abstract Public Law 84-660 was approved by the U.S. Congress in 1956 (1) and amended as Public Law 92-500 by the Congress in 1972 (2). These laws are the Water Pollution Control Acts that set the standards for clean water. These laws prescribe point-discharge requirements of the federal government, the states, and Regional Water Quality Control Boards to prevent pollution and to maintain the integrity of receiving waters. In addition the state of California has the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (3).

Groundwater Protection in San Francisco Bay Area

In the San Francisco Bay Region, the Regional Water Quality Control Board is now regulating approximately 140 sites where toxic chemicals have contaminated groundwater. Many of these were located through the Board's Underground Tank Leak Detection Program, which required subsurface investigations at sites with underground solvent tanks. New ordinances and state laws are expected to result in the discovery of hundreds more contamination sites in the next few years. The Regional Board is developing a ranking methodology to assign priorities among cases and a set of guidelines for establishment of clean‐up objectives on a site‐by‐site basis. Appropriate regulatory mechanisms have been selected to enforce the necessary investigation and cleanup activities.

Developing Objectives for the Ground Water Quality Monitoring Network of the Salinas River

AbstractThis article describes how objectives were developed and applied to design a ground water quality monitoring network for the Salinas River drainage basin in central California. Four agencies worked together: the USGS as network designer, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board as network manager, and Monterey and San Luis Obispo county agencies as data providers. After investigating the basin's ground water quality problems, a list of objectives was developed. These objectives were written as concise statements. The network designers and managers arranged the objectives in the order of importance and set priorities for them. An ideal network was designed to meet all of the monitoring objectives. In the ideal network exercise, budget and manpower constraints were ignored. Each monitoring location was chosen for a specific objective or group of objectives. The ideal network was compared with the existing network to identify where both more and less monitoring was needed. Then a proposed network was chosen. The ideal and existing networks were composited to produce the proposed network, but budget and manpower were considered. To keep the network at a realistic size, monitoring was only recommended to meet the most important objectives. Existing monitoring sites were retained to meet any of the objectives.

INVESTIGATION AND CLEANUP OF FUEL TANK LEAKS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA—A REGULATORY STRATEGY

ABSTRACT During the past few years, contamination associated with underground chemical storage has been found to have caused extensive degradation of otherwise usable groundwater in many locations. In response, many cities within the San Francisco Bay area are presently implementing ordinances that require monitoring of underground tanks including fuel tanks. In addition, recently enacted state laws will require some form of rigorous monitoring for fuel tanks throughout California. Implementation of fuel leak monitoring programs will result in the discovery of a significant number of additional fuel leak sites. The authors project that 200 to 300 reports of subsurface fuel contamination will be generated during the next year in the San Francisco Bay area. To deal with this overwhelming increase in regulatory workload it is likely that some level of initial response to fuel leaks may be delegated to local governments. For the above reasons, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, is developing formalized response procedures to provide a consistent and adequate preliminary response to initial reports of suspected or confirmed underground fuel leaks. These procedures are intended to provide a screening process to minimize additional follow-up where it is not required and to ensure such follow-up where it is necessary. The proposed procedures will be the subject of several public workshops and at least one formal public hearing before they are considered final. They are described here in an attempt to stimulate further technical input to the public discussion process and to possibly provide a model for use by others who will be faced with similar decision-making needs as similar ordinances and regulations are adopted throughout the state and in other states.

Guidelines for Control of Septic Tank Systems

As the population of the San Francisco Bay Area increases, the demand for new development increases. In response to these development pressures, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a policy on discrete sewerage facilities which sets forth the actions the board will take with respect to proposals for individual or community sewerage systems. An important provision of the policy required the development of guidelines to control individual wastewater and disposal systems. Major recommendations of the guidelines pertaining to design and construction, operation and maintenance, and cumulative impacts of septic tank systems are summarized.

Water Treatment Sludge Disposal—How and Where—

Having been informed in 1964 by the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board that the East Bay Municipal Utility District must ceasee and desist, in accordance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, from the discharge of all water treatment plant wastewaters to water of the U.S. the District initiated an investigative program to determine the best available technology to process water treatment plant wastes and dispose of them and thus eliminate all waste discharges to San Francisco Bay. Three broad lines of action have been pursued: (1)Pilot testing of commercially available mechanical devices for the purpose of dewatering alum sludge; (2)determination of low cost/maximum benefit of modifications and additions to existing water treatment facilities for sludge processing, or both; and (3)determination of the extent to which the planning and constructing of sludge processing and sludge dewatering facilities should proceed in order to be compatible with the addition of possible future improved methods and devices.

Sources and trends in waste water loadings to the San Francisco Bay Region

This study uses data obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permit Program and self‐monitoring data from the regional water quality control board in an analysis of waste discharges to water‐courses in the San Francisco Bay region. The analysis shows that the majority of these discharge loads can be attributed to a few sources. Trend analysis showed that the BOD load has declined in relation to the quantities discharged in the early 1960's. Nutrients, however, have increased at an annual rate of about 4% since the early 1960's.

Water Quality Control in California

The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, effective January 1, 1970, completely revises California’s 20-year-old water pollution law. Esthetics and protection of fish and wildlife have been added to beneficial uses of water to be protected. Area-wide planning for the solution to water pollution problems is encouraged. The interrelationships of water quality and water quantity as expressed by water rights are recognized. The State Water Resources Control Board now administers the related functions of water rights determination and water quality control. The State Board establishes policy and guidelines for nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards. The regional boards adopt water quality control plans and establish waste discharge requirements to meet the water quality objectives enunciated in the water quality control plans which must be approved by the State Board. Violators of waste discharge requirements may now be assessed civil penalties of up to $6,000 per day for each day of violation.