Cal. Code Regs. tit. 23 § 3950

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 25, June 21, 2024

Section 3950 - Revised Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region

The revised Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Basin, as adopted on September 9, 1993 and subsequently amended on October 14, 1994, by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board includes the regulatory provisions summarized below:

(a) Beneficial Use Definitions:

(1) defines "Aquaculture," "Preservation of Biological Habitats of Special Significance," "Commercial and Sportfishing," "Flood Peak Attenuation/Flood Water Storage," "Migration of Aquatic Organisms," "Navigation," "Industrial Process Supply," "Spawning, Reproduction, and Development," and "Water Quality Enhancement";

(2) revises existing beneficial use definitions for statewide consistency;

(b) Water Body Class Modifier Definitions: defines "marsh," "emergent wetlands," "wet meadow," "playa lakes/wetlands," "slough" and "vernal pool;"

(c) Surface Waters (1) revises water quality objectives for ammonia, coliform bacteria, chemical constituents, total residual chlorine, dissolved oxygen, floating materials, oil and grease, pesticides, pH, radioactivity, settleable materials, suspended materials, taste and odor, temperature, and fisheries management activities using rotenone; (2) adds water quality objectives for: nondegradation of aquatic communities and populations for wetlands, arsenic, boron, molybdenum and pH for Honey Lake; suspended sediment for Lake Tahoe; 12 constituents for Fallen Leaf Lake;

(d) Ground Waters: revises water quality objectives for coliform bacteria, chemical constituents, radioactivity, and taste and odor; specifies that objectives apply at all points;

(e) Compliance with Water Quality Objectives:

(1) specifies that the most strict objectives applies;

(2) adds directions regarding (A) pollution and nuisance, (B) taste and odor, (C) human health and toxicity, (D) agriculture designations, (E) "natural high quality waters," (F) "10 percent significance level," (G) "means," "medians," and "90th percentile values," (H) standard analytical methods to determine compliance with objectives, (I) bacterial analyses; (J) acute toxicity, (K) chronic toxicity, and (L) application of narrative and numerical water quality objectives to wetlands;

(f) Waste Discharge Prohibitions:

(1) revises and clarifies waste discharge prohibitions;

(2) adds exemption criteria for restoration projects;

(3) adds consideration for reclamation projects;

(g) Spills, Leaks, Complaint Investigations, and Cleanups: adds risk assessment criteria for site specific cleanup levels;

(h) Municipal and Domestic Wastewater:

(1) clarifies considerations in establishing discharge requirements;

(2) adds control actions to address unlined sewage ponds;

(3) adds package treatment plant criteria and permitting requirements;

(4) adds criteria for consideration of proposed reclamation projects;

(5) clarifies reclamation control measures for Indian Creek Watershed;

(6) revises criteria for individual waste disposal systems;

(7) adds factors for evaluating alternative individual waste disposal systems;

(i) Ground Water Protection and Management:

(1) City of Bishop: adds requirements regarding cleanup of ground water polluted by underground storage tanks;

(2) adds policy for remediation of underground storage tank discharges in hydrogeologic areas other than Bishop;

(j) Mining, Industry and Energy production: revises control measures for mining and mineral processing; for industrial activities other than mining and mineral processing, including measures applicable to the cement industry, asphalt batch plants, and lumber mills; and for energy production, including geothermal operations, hydroelectric projects, and cogeneration facilities;

(k) Land Development:

(1) revises control measures for construction activities;

(2) revises control measures for road construction and maintenance;

(l) Resource Management and Restoration:

(1) adds method for determining site specific boundaries of wetlands;

(2) adds control measures for wetland protection;

(3) adds control actions for livestock grazing;

(4) adds control actions for fisheries protection;

(5) revises control measures for rotenone use in fisheries management;

(6) defines "restoration" and adds control measures for lake/reservoir restoration;

(7) adds control measures for river and stream restoration;

(8) adds control measures for wetland restoration;

(9) adds control measures for agricultural chemicals;

(10) adds control measures for confined animal facilities;

(11) adds control measures for aquaculture facilities;

(12) adds control measures for boating and shoreline recreation regarding dredging and underwater construction, beach creation and replenishment, shorezone protection, piers, and marinas;

(13) adds control measures for golf courses and other turf areas;

(m) Lake Tahoe Basin:

(1) incorporates and revises essential standards and control measures from the Water Quality Management Plan for the Lake Tahoe Region ("208 Plan," Tahoe Regional Planning Agency 1988) and from the Lake Tahoe Basin Water Quality Plan (State Water Resources Control Board 1989):

(1) Beneficial Use Definitions: (makes revisions listed in [a] above);

(2) Surface Waters:

(A) incorporates and revises water quality objectives from ammonia, coliform bacteria, chemical constituents, total residual chlorine, dissolved oxygen, floating materials, oil and grease, pesticides, pH, radioactivity, settleable materials, suspended materials, taste and odor, temperature, and fisheries management activities using rotenone;

(B) incorporates water quality objectives for algal growth potential, biological indicators, clarity, electrical conductivity, pH, plankton counts, and transparency;

(C) adds water quality objectives for: nondegradation of aquatic communities and populations for wetlands; suspended sediment; and, 12 constituents for Fallen Leaf Lake;

(3) Ground Waters: incorporates and revises water quality objectives for coliform bacteria, chemical constituents, radioactivity, and taste and odor;

(4) Compliance with Water Quality Objectives: (makes revisions specified in [e] above);

(5) Discharge Prohibitions: incorporates and revises waste discharge prohibitions for the Lake Tahoe Hydrologic Unit;

(6) Land Capability and Coverage Limitations: adds provisions on approval of "man-modified" reclassifications; incorporates provisions on coverage limitations; adds provisions on excess coverage mitigation, coverage transfer and coverage relocation;

(7) Remedial Programs and Offset: clarifies existing authority for Region Board review of substantial modifications to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency offset program; adds priority groups of facilities for obtaining retrofit of BMPs;

(8) Stormwater Problems and Control Measures: incorporates and revises stormwater effluent limitations;

(9) Stream Zones, Floodplains, Shorezones, and Ground Water: Clarifies criteria for identification of a stream environment zone (SEZ), for establishment of a SEZ setback, for SEZ protection, and SEZ restoration; adds criteria for SEZ creation; adds control measures for floodplain protection, shorezone protection, and ground water protection;

(10) Development Restriction: clarifies effect of waste discharge prohibitions on new development; incorporates and revises exemption criteria for: new subdivisions, new development in SEZs or not in accord with land capability, new development which is not offset by remedial projects, 100-year floodplains, and development of new piers;

(11) Roads and Rights-of-Way: incorporates and revises control measures;

(12) Timber Harvest Activities: incorporates and revises control measures;

(13) Livestock Grazing And Confinement: incorporates control measures;

(14) Outdoor Recreation: incorporates direction for ski area maintenance activities; incorporates and revises controls for piers.

Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 23, § 3950

1. Revised plan approved by OAL and effective 3-31-95, pursuant to Government Code section 11353; summary of regulatory provisions filed 3-31-95 (Register 95, No. 13).