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 3949.16 - Amendment to the Water Quality Control Plans for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and the Tulare Lake Basin to Establish a Central Valley-Wide Salt and Nitrate Control Program

1. Establish a phased Salt Control Program for discharges to surface and groundwater;

2. Establish a prioritized Nitrate Control Program for discharges to groundwater;

3. Identify alternative compliance pathways that allow collaborative means of addressing salt and nitrate issues;

4. Include a Conditional Prohibition of Discharge to establish enforceable conditions until the Central Valley Water Board revises permits to incorporate applicable requirements from the Control Program;

5. Establish a Surveillance and Monitoring Program;

6. Revise the existing Salinity Variance Policy;

7. Revise the existing Exceptions Policy;

8. Incorporate a Drought and Conservation Policy;

9. Incorporate an Offsets Policy; and

10. Clarify intent and use of applying secondary MCLs in permitting actions.

1. Modify a Salt and Nitrate Control Program goal to be cessation of causing or contributing to exceedances of water quality objectives;

2. Clarify no new standards are created for de-designating aquifer beneficial uses or adopting less stringent site-specific water quality objectives;

3. Require a sampling program to identify residents impacted by nitrate;

4. Revise the Nitrate Control Program, including deadline requirements;

5. Revise the Exceptions Policy for the Nitrate Control Program, including a maximum of 35 years for nitrate exceptions and a goal of 50 years for basin restoration;

6. Revise the Offsets Policy for the Nitrate Control Program;

7. Remove authorizations of specified exceedances of Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels;

8. Revise Salt Control Program to not rely on multi-discharger variances; and

9. Modify the Salt Control Program Conservative Salinity Permitting Approach delineation values.