Cal. Code Regs. tit. 23 § 3929.1
Resolution No. R3-2006-0025, adopted on March 24, 2006 by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Coast Water Board), modified the regulatory provisions of the Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coast Region (Basin Plan) by establishing the Watsonville Slough Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for pathogens, adopting numeric targets for indicator organisms, adopting an implementation plan to achieve the TMDL, and adopting a livestock waste discharge prohibition. The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) approved the amendment on September 21, 2006, under Resolution No. 2006-0067.
The TMDL addresses the Watsonville Slough Watershed, which includes Watsonville, Harkins, Struve, Hanson, and Gallighan Sloughs, which do not meet water quality standards due to pathogens. An implicit margin of safety was incorporated into the TMDL through the use of conservative assumptions throughout the source analysis and characterization of beneficial use impacts. The Central Coast Water Board set load allocations for operators or owners of irrigated lands who land-apply non-sterile manure, as well as operators of livestock facilities or owners of animals and livestock facilities. The Central Coast Water Board set wasteload allocations for Santa Cruz County and the City of Watsonville. The amendment establishes numeric targets for the indicator organism fecal coliform that demonstrate the presence of fecal pollution. These numeric targets are consistent within the Basin Plan's water quality objectives that are known to be supportive of the beneficial uses protecting water contact recreation. The numeric targets are the water quality objectives for water contact recreation in the Basin Plan.
The TMDL relies on a livestock waste discharge prohibition for the Watsonville Slough Watershed that prohibits owners of animals and livestock facilities or operators of livestock facilities from discharging any livestock animal waste from any activity into waters of the State within the Watsonville Slough Watershed, or to submit either a Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Implementation Program or document that their activity does not result in a discharge. The Central Coast Water Board will also rely upon National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, waste discharge requirements (WDRs), and waivers of WDRs to ensure that implementing parties carry out implementation actions. As described in the resolution, several entities are responsible for achieving the numeric target. This Basin Plan amendment establishes a ten year implementation period to achieve the TMDL. The amendment specifies that the Central Coast Water Board will track progress towards achieving the TMDL through review of implementation actions and monitoring conducted by the implementing parties. The amendment also states that the Central Coast Water Board staff will conduct triennial reviews of implementation actions and monitoring results. If monitoring demonstrates efforts will not achieve the TMDL as scheduled (as determined by a triennial review), the Executive Officer of the Central Coast Water Board may require changes to existing monitoring, reporting, or implementation efforts pursuant to Water Code (WC) sections 13267 or 13383. Should Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Implementation Programs or documentation require modification, or if a party fails to submit a Program or documentation, the Executive Officer may issue a civil liability complaint pursuant to WC sections 13268 or 13350 or, alternatively, propose individual or general WDRs to assure compliance with the prohibition.
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 23, § 3929.1