CURRENT WATER
QUALITY ISSUES
Gerard Thibeault
California Regional Water Quality
Control Board, Santa Ana Region
May 8, 2008
ASCE Stormwater
Committee Meeting Notice
• “Synopsis: Water quality policies
and requirements are constantly
changing based on TMDLs and
Basin Plan requirements.”
• “Constantly changing” vs.
“painfully slow”
• Last TMDL 2007
• Basin Plan revision 2004
WATER QUALITY ISSUES
• Re-issuance of MS4 Permits
• General Construction Permit
• Stormwater Quality Standards
Task Force
• Once-through cooling
• Hydraulic Control of Chino Basin
• Recycled Water Policy
• Emerging Contaminants
State Policies
• Recycled Water Policy
– Important drought-related policy
– Very similar to Santa Ana Region
policies
– Requires other regions to develop
salt-management plans
• Once-through Cooling Policy
– Enormous significance for power
generation in state
– Statewide consistency
Water Quality Issues
• Hydraulic Control of Chino Basin
Groundwater
– Reverse GW gradient across lower
basin
– Supply wells for Chino Basin
desalters
– Stop migration of dairy and ag
contaminated GW to Orange Co.
– Encourages SAR to migrate into
Chino Basin
Water Quality Issues
• Emerging Contaminants
– Pharmaceuticals, personal care
products, hormones, endocrine
disruptors
– Documented effects on marine
habitat
– Groundwater results
– Groundwater and surface water
monitoring task force
MS4 Permit Re-issuance
• Area-wide permits for Orange
County, San Bernardino County
and Riverside County
• Expired during 2007
• First drafts completed or nearing
completion
• First workshops early 2009
• Adoption in 2009
MS4 Permit Re-issuance
• Seeking SoCal consistency
– Meetings with Los Angeles, San
Diego and Colorado River Regions
and with U.S. EPA
– Topics
•
•
•
•
•
Effective impermeable area
Municipal action levels
Hydromod or HCOC
Inclusion of TMDL requirements
LID
MS4 Permit Re-issuance
• Prefer unified SoCal MS4 permit,
but not likely for this round
• Expect permits to be regionally
focused, but essentially similar
– Exception may be use of Municipal
Action Levels (MALs)
MS4 Permit Re-issuance
• LID/Green Infrastructure
– Build upon current permit site
design requirements
– New
• Require Evaluation of ordinances to
eliminate barriers to LID implementation
• Emphasize on site design components,
structural source control, and treatment
BMPs being operational before occupancy
• Long-term O&M tracking
MS4 Re-issuance
• HCOC
– Existing – per site basis
– New – link to jurisdictional, subwatershed and watershed approach
– Jurisdictional and watershed plans
to protect vulnerable streams
– Preserve existing unarmored
streams
– S.B. Co. project underway
Progress Update
Hydromodification Mapping and Documentation
for Santa Ana River Watershed Area in
San Bernardino County
RBF Consulting
14725 Alton Parkway
Irvine, CA 92618
John McCarthy, PE, CFM
Steve Bein, PE
Hydromodification Mapping and Documentation
for the Santa Ana River Watershed
 Purpose

Develop a comprehensive map of the Permit area within San
Bernardino County to assist the Co-Permittees and project
proponents to determine whether a project will flow to a
hydrologically sensitive area.
 Screening Tool for
Co-Permittees,applicants,
& Regional Board
Four Phase Project Approach
 Phase 1 - Completed

Practical Working Definitions
 Develop Work Plan
 Phase 2 - Completed

Base Data Collection
 GIS Feature Creation & HCOC Map Preparation
HCOC Project
Data Input:
•Aligned Drainage
Courses
•Material
•Dimensions
•Ownership
•Reach Limits
MS4 Permit Re-issuance
• Other matters to be addressed:
– Cross-media (air pollution)
– TMDL Implementation
• Not discretionary
– Performance standards
– Contaminated GW rising into MS4
MS4 Permit Re-issuance
• Next Steps:
– Collaboration with 3 counties and
co-permittees
– Collaboration with environmental
groups and other interested parties
– Drive for consensus
• Process used in O.C. last round
– Workshops
– Hearings for consideration of
adoption
Statewide General
Construction Permit
• Expired in 2004
• March 18th – Preliminary draft
• New proposals
– Tech based Numeric Action Levels
• pH and turbidity
– Tech based Numeric Effluent Lim
• NEL for pH and turbidity (1000 NTU)
– Specifies more min BMP reqmts.
Statewide General
Construction Permit
• New proposals (cont’d.)
– Risk-based permitting – 4 levels
• 3 lower levels in general permit
• 4th level must have individual WDRs
– Soil characteristics monit. and rept.
– Effluent monit. & rept. – pH & turb.
• Compliance with NELs & NALs
– Receiving water monit. & rept.
• Risk levels 2 & 3
Statewide General
Construction Permit
• New proposals (cont’d.)
– New development and redevelopment SW performance stds.
– Rain event action plan (48 hrs in
advance)
– Site photographic self-monit. & rept.
– Annual reporting (> 3 months)
– Cert./Training reqmts for key staff
Stormwater Quality
Standards Task Force
• Addressing issue of bacterial
standards for body-contact
recreation (REC-1)
– Fecal coliform vs. e coli
• Stormwater channels presumed
REC-1, unless re-designated by
Use-Attainability Analysis (UAA)
• UAA difficult to achieve, given CA
definitions for REC-1 & REC -2
The Goal
Current Definition of REC-1
“Water Contact Recreation (REC1) waters are
used for recreational activities involving body
contact with water where ingestion of water is
reasonably possible. These uses may include,
but are not limited to, swimming, wading,
water-skiing, skin and scuba diving, surfing,
whitewater activities, fishing, and use of
natural hot springs.”
Current Definition of REC-2
“Non-contact Recreation (REC2) waters are used for
recreational activities involving proximity to water,
but not normally involving body contact with water
where ingestion of water would be reasonably
possible. These uses may include, but are not
limited to: picnicking, sunbathing, hiking,
beachcombing, camping, tidepool and marine life
study, hunting, sightseeing and aesthetic enjoyment
in conjunction with the above activities.”
Contact or Non-Contact Recreation?
Reasonably Possible?
Web Site
• www.swrcb.ca.gov/santaana