California Code of Regulations
Title 23 - Waters
Division 4 - Regional Water Quality Control Boards
Chapter 1 - Water Quality Control Plans, Policies, and Guidelines
Article 5 - Central Valley Region
Section 3940 - Revised Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins

Universal Citation: 23 CA Code of Regs 3940

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

The revised Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins, adopted 9 December 1994 by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board per Resolution No. 94-380 and approved by the State Water Resources Control Board 16 February 1995 per Resolution 95-12, modifies the regulatory provisions of the previous Water Quality Control Plan and its amendments as follows:

(a) Water Body Definitions: Adds definitions for "ground water" and "ground water basin."

(b) Beneficial Use Categories and Definitions: Add definitions for "Aquaculture," "Commercial and Sport Fishing," "Estuarine Habitat," "Marine Habitat," and "Preservation of Biological Habitats of Special Significance"; Revise beneficial use category definitions previously incorporated: Municipal and Domestic Supply" (MUN); Agricultural Supply", "Industrial Process Supply," "Ground Water Recharge," "Freshwater Replenishment," "Navigation", "Contract Water Recreation," "Non-contact Water Recreation," "Cold Freshwater Habitat," "Warm Freshwater Habitat," "Wildlife Habitat," "Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species," "Migration of Aquatic Organisms," and "Spawning, Reproduction, and/or Early Development."

(c) Tributary Rule: Revise tributary rule to state that beneficial uses of a specifically identified waterbody generally applies to its tributary streams, but on a case-by-case basis the Regional Board may determine that a beneficial use designation does not apply to the entire body of water.

(d) Inland Surface Waters:

(1) Revise chemical constituents objective, clarify that metal objectives are dissolved concentrations, and delete disapproved selenium objectives for San Joaquin River, Salt Slough, and Mud Slough;

(2) Provide for "appropriate averaging periods" to determine compliance with pH objective, temperature objective, turbidity objective;

(3) Revise radioactivity objective;

(4) Revise Toxicity objective to clarify how Regional Board makes determinations when combinations of toxic chemicals are present;

(5) Add turbidity objective for surface waters with natural turbidity less than 5 NTUs.

(e) Ground Waters:

(1) Designate all ground waters, unless otherwise designated, as suitable or potentially suitable for municipal and domestic water supply (MUN), agricultural supply (AGR), industrial service supply (IND), and industrial process supply (PRO);

(2) Add criteria for making exceptions to beneficial use designations of agricultural supply (AGR) or industrial supply (IND or PRO);

(3) Revise chemical constituents objective;

(4) Add narrative objective for toxicity.

(f) Wastewater Reuse Policy: Expand the existing "Disposal of Wastewater on Land Policy" to clarify implementation policy regarding State Water Board Resolution No. 77-1, "Statement of Policy with Respect to Water Reclamation in California."

(g) Antidegradation: Add policy on implementation of State Water Board Resolution No. 68-16, "Statement of Policy with Respect to Maintaining High Quality of Water in California."

(h) Water Quality Objectives: Add policy for application of water quality objectives to: clarify that objectives apply to all waters rather than at a point of compliance; clarify policy regarding designation of mixing zones; clarify that "background" represents an initial goal and describe how numerical limits are established in implementing a narrative water quality objective; and add method for determining when a combination of chemicals is assumed to present an unacceptable level of toxicological risk.

(i) Contaminated Sites: Add policy for investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites.

(j) Variances: Add authorization for short-term variances for vector and weed control, pest eradication, or fishery management.

1. New article 5 and section summarizing regulatory provisions filed 5-10-95; Basin Plan revisions as adopted by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board 12-9-94 per Resolution No. 94-380 and approved by the State Water Resources Control Board 2-16-95 per Resolution 95-12, approved by OAL and effective per Government Code section 11353 on 5-9-95 (Register 95, No. 19).

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