Water Quality and Supply Issues Monthly Update-Apr 2022
This month we are laser-focused on the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWB) final draft of the Construction General Permit (CGP) for stormwater. This permit was released on March 30th for stakeholder and public comment. It directly impacts CICWQ’s member companies and workforce building projects in California. The CGP is administered by the SWB in Sacramento and enforced regionally by one of nine California Regional Water Quality Control Boards.
Unfortunately, the final draft of the CGP just released contains:
Many new proposed actions
Job site monitoring
Reporting activities that will increase the compliance burden and cost to comply
Worse, the draft CGP contains numeric effluent limits, which, if exceeded, cause a permit violation triggering enforcement by the State, and exposure to 3rd party citizen lawsuits.
CICWQ urges contractors and builders to get engaged in the process NOW!
Attend staff workshops and SWB meetings on
April 12th and 19th | Meeting Info >>Submit comments and concerns to the SWB by noon Monday, May 2nd
OUR TOP PRIORITY IN APRIL
1.) Renewal of the State of California Construction General Permit for Stormwater
The State of California Water Resources Control Board released a final revised Draft construction general permit (CGP) on March 30, 2022. The CGP still includes Numeric Effluent Limits for pollutants in construction site runoff in some areas in California, which is a major concern of the construction industry. Technologies don’t exist to meet permit conditions, and if a NEL is exceeded, it triggers an enforcement action and potential 3rd party litigation.
Check out the Latest CGP Updates below to access new permit documents, learn more about the new revised final Draft permit, and find out how you can get engaged in the comment process to help the construction industry.
We have prepared a brief review of the Final Draft CGP that addresses the construction industry’s primary concerns. We identify key dates in the process and how you can get involved.
OTHER WATER ISSUES WORTH YOUR TIME
2.) Worsening Drought Conditions in California
Governor Newsome issued Executive Order N-7-22 urging aggressive conservation and other measures to save water in California. The order requests that local water agencies step up urgency measures for water conservation, and it encourages all Californians to adopt Save Our Water conservation principles and actions.
And in March, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California convened State and Local water leaders at a local native plant nursery to call on all southern Californians to step up water conservation efforts.
3.) Sites Reservoir Water Storage Project– Some Hope for More Water Supply Storage in California
There are some hopeful signs the long-awaited Sites Reservoir water storage project in Colusa County may be moving forward. Two articles from the AP and a local paper in northern California get us up to speed.
