Water Quality Control Plan for the Colorado River region (CA)

This Water Quality Control Plan (herein referred to as the Basin Plan) for the Colorado River Basin Region was prepared by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Colorado River Basin Region, in accordance with criteria contained in the California Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the Federal Clean Water Act, and other pertinent state and federal rules and regulations. The intent of the Basin Plan is to provide definitive guidelines, and give direction to the full scope of Regional Board activities that serve to optimize the beneficial uses of the state waters within the Colorado River Basin Region of California by preserving and protecting the quality of these waters.

Water uses and water benefits vary. Water quality is an important factor in determining use and benefit. For example, drinking water has to be of higher quality than the water used to irrigate pastures. Both of these are beneficial water uses, but the quality requirements for irrigation water are different from those for drinking water.

The Basin Plan recognizes the variations of water quality and water uses. This Basin Plan lists and defines the various beneficial water uses  (Chapter 2). It describes the water quality which must be maintained to support such uses (Water Quality Objectives, Chapter 3). The section on implementation (Chapter 4) describes the programs, projects and other actions which are necessary to achieve the standards established in this Plan. Plans, Policies and Issues (Chapter 5), summarize the various plans and policies which protect water quality. This chapter also describes water quality issues which require special attention. Surveillance and Monitoring (Chapter 6), describes activities within the Colorado River Basin Region which are related to surveillance, monitoring, assessment, lab support, quality assurance and quality control.

The Regional Board implements the Basin Plan by issuing and enforcing waste discharge requirements to persons; which can include individuals, communities, or businesses whose waste discharges may affect water quality. These requirements can be either state Waste Discharge Requirements for discharge to land, or federally delegated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for discharges to surface water. Dischargers are required to meet water quality objectives and thus protect beneficial uses.

This Basin Plan also encourages water users to improve the quality of their water supplies, particularly where the wastewater they discharge is likely to be reused. Public works and other projects, which can affect water quality, are reviewed and their impacts are identified. Proposals, which implement or help achieve the goals of the Basin Plan, are supported.

This Basin Plan is subject to review by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The Basin Plan is, in itself, not a final statement on regional water quality planning, but is subject to continuous review and update as necessary. Updated sections of the plan may appear as periodic amendments, which are also subject to approval by the State Board and USEPA.