CENTRAL VALLEY WATER BOARD Central Valley-wide Salt and Nitrate Control Program Proposed Basin Plan Amendments • Strategies • Supporting New and Revised Policies Central Valley/Sierra Foothills WateReuse Meeting 26 April 2018
Salt/Nitrate Issues • Ambient Conditions - Upper Zone (Average) - Area containing 90% of domestic wells Nitrate as N TDS mg/L * Where only Electrical Conductivity data were available, it was converted to TDS 2
CONTROL PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS • Stakeholder-driven (CV-SALTS) Salt & • Multi-year effort – initiated in 2006 Nitrate Control Programs – Multiple Meetings >140 Policy • • >50 Technical (+52 for LSJR) >45 Misc. + Education/Outreach Committee • Salt & Nitrate Management Plan (SNMP) • Agency Oversight/Public Input – Annual State Water Board Public Reports CV-SALTS Supporting Policies – Annual Regional Water Board Case Studies: Tulare MUN/AGR De-designation, MUN in Workshops Ag-Dominated Waters, Lower San Joaquin River Salinity • Materials posted at: Implementation Alternatives: Nitrate (NIMS), Salinity – www.cvsalinity.org (SSALTS), Aggressive Restoration Scenario Studies: Conceptual Model, Groundwater Quality, Management Zone Archetype White Papers: MUN, AGR, Stock Watering, & Aquatic Life Beneficial Uses Slide 3
CONTROL PROGRAMS FRAMED AROUND THREE PRIORITIZED MANAGEMENT GOALS • Safe a Drinking Water Supply Management Goal 1 ‒ Short & Long Term Solutions • Balanced Salt & Nitrate Loadings Management Goal 2 ‒ Ongoing and Expanding Efforts • Implement Managed Aquifer Restoration Management Goal 3 ‒ Where Reasonable, Feasible & Practicable Slide 4
SALT & NITRATE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY – BROAD PERSPECTIVE Nitrate & Salinity Control Programs Phased Prioritized Program Program Nitrate Compliance Pathways Salinity Compliance Pathways Generally Maintain Management Zone Conservative Alternative Traditional Permitting Permitting Approach Permitting Approach Permitting Approach Approach Slide 7
CENTRAL VALLEY SALT AND NITRATE CONTROL PROGRAM • New/Revised Policies • Implementation Elements ─ Variances and Exceptions ─ Salt Control Program ─ Drought and Conservation ─ Surface and Groundwater ─ Nitrate Control Program ─ Offsets ─ Groundwater ─ Secondary Maximum Contaminant ─ Prioritized Basins Levels (clarify application of SMCLs ─ Management Zones in permitting actions) ─ Conditional Prohibition of Discharge (See Handout) ─ Surveillance and Monitoring ─ Program Specific Definitions Slide 6
SALINITY CONTROL PROGRAM Slide 7
SALINITY CONTROL PROGRAM • Phased Approach ─ Basin-Wide ─ Long-term Sustainability Maintain Good Water Quality Improve Poor Water Quality • Management Goals ─ “Managed Degradation” ─ Sustainability and Protect Salt Sensitive Areas Meet Water Quality Objectives/Long-Term Restoration where reasonable, feasible and practicable Protect High Quality Water (anti-degradation) Slide 8
SALINITY PERMITTING STRATEGY • Two Compliance Pathways – Conservative Permitting – Alternative Compliance • Phased Approach – 10-15 years for each phase • Permittees “elects” their compliance pathway at beginning of each phase (See Handout) Slide 13
SALINITY PERMITTING STRATEGY Phase 1: Prioritization/Optimization Study – Expanded Evaluations Hydrologic/Policies/Programs – Physical/Non-Physical Projects – Governance/Funding Phase 2: Project Development – Funding/Permits/Non-Physical Projects Phase 3: Project Implementation – Construction Slide 14
PHASE 1 Conservative Alternative All Discharges All Discharges • Apply conservative assumptions for interpretation • Participate in the Phase I Prioritization and of the narrative objectives and application of Optimization Study throughout its duration • numeric water quality objectives to protect AGR Continue implementing reasonable, feasible and MUN beneficial uses and practicable efforts to control salinity using • Limited availability of a compliance or time performance-based limits, including: schedule to meet a salinity-related effluent limit or Salinity management practices - waste discharge requirement Pollution prevention, watershed, and/or - salt reduction plans Groundwater Discharge and Non-NPDES Discharge • Limited new or expanded allocation of assimilative Monitoring - Maintenance of existing discharge capacity in groundwater - • Does not meet eligibility requirements for an concentration or loading levels of salinity exception Groundwater and Non-NPDES Discharges • Salinity limits not used as a compliance metric NPDES Surface Water Discharge except to ensure implementation of • A new or expanded allocation of assimilative performance-based measures; capacity may be authorized only where a • permittee can show that the impact of the Permittees that meet requirements of the alternative salinity permitting approach are discharge is temporary or de minimus • Does not meet eligibility requirements for a considered in compliance with their salinity limits variance NPDES Surface Water Discharges • Eligible for a salinity variance Slide 15
SALINITY ALTERNATIVE PERMITTING APPROACH Continue to Implement Comply with Interim Pollution Prevention, Permit Limits, if Watershed, and Salt applicable Reduction Plans Maintain Current Participate in Phase I Salinity Discharge Levels Study and Phase II & III, to Extent Feasible, as appropriate Reasonable, Practicable Interim Permit Provisions Implement Salinity Conduct Required Management Practices Monitoring & Source Control Activities Slide 12
PHASE I – PRIORITIZATION AND OPTIMIZATION STUDY Year of Implementation Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Stakeholder Coordination Meetings (as needed frequency) Stakeholder Coordination SGMA GSA Coordination Meetings (as needed frequency) Strategic Planning Regulatory and Policy Evaluations Phase II Planning Governance Governance Plan – Formation and Structure Implementation and Refinement of Governance Plan Funding Funding Plan and Financing Strategy Implementation of the Funding Plan and Financing Strategy Prioritization & Prioritization/Salt Management Analyses to Salinity Interim Support Identification of Salt Management Management Report Projects Analyses Conceptual Design of Salt Concept Design for Subregional Salt Management Projects and Management Regional CVBL Project Project Groundwater Quality Trace Constituent Study Emerging Emerging Emerging Tech Tech Tech Update Update Update Special Studies Recycled Water Imports Study Stormwater Recharge Master Plan Study Agenda Item 4 13 Agenda Item 4 CV-SALTS Workshop, 19 January 2018 Handout
PHASE I PRIORITIZATION & OPTIMIZATION STUDY IMPLEMENTATION Issue Expectations • All (or almost all) permitted dischargers of salt (surface water or Who could groundwater) potentially • Non-discharging entities that would benefit from Central Valley salinity participate? management and control activities Who will manage • Anticipated lead - Central Valley Salinity Coalition the Study? • Activities to occur in an open stakeholder process How will the Study • Workplan (scope, budget, schedule) to be developed prior to implementation be implemented? • Meet milestones established in Phase I Salinity Control Program How will required • Anticipated to be determined based on a variety of factors, e.g., facility level of commitment size/type; discharge volume, salt loading, others be determined? 5/1/2018 Slide 14
SALINITY CONTROL PROGRAM SCHEDULE Regulatory Actions 2021 & 2018 2019 2020 (Current Estimate) following Central Valley Board Consideration State Water Board Consideration Trigger to Initiate GW implementation Office Administrative Law (OAL) Consideration Trigger to Initiate SW implementation EPA Approval (Surface Water only: 6/19) w/in 1-yr of OAL approval Notice to Comply (NTC) Groundwater w/in 6-mo of NTC Notice of Intent (NOI) – Groundwater w/in 1-yr of EPA approval Notice to Comply - Surface Water w/in 6-mo of NTC Notice of Intent – Surface Water Phase I Implementation (10-15 years) 5/1/2018 Slide 15
NITRATE CONTROL PROGRAM Slide 16
RECOMMENDED PRIORITY AREAS • Groundwater Basins/Sub-basins – Priority 1 Area (Central Valley Floor, Red) – Notice Central Valley Floor to Comply within one year of Basin Plan Groundwater amendments becoming effective Basins/Sub-basins – Priority 2 Area (Central Valley Floor, Orange) – Notice to Comply within 2-4 years of Basin Plan amendments becoming effective – Remaining Areas (Central Valley Floor, Green, and other Basins/Sub-basins outside of the Valley Floor) – Based on available resources, and as determined necessary by the Executive Officer • Areas Not Part of a Groundwater Basin – As determined necessary by the Executive Officer Agenda Item 4 Slide 14 CV-SALTS Workshop, 19 January 2018
Recommend
More recommend
