Notice is hereby given that the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, North Coast Region (Regional Water Board) is proposing to revise the surface water quality assessment under Clean Water Act section 305(b) and the list of impaired waters under Clean Water Act section 303(d) in the 2008 Integrated Report.
Overview of the 2008 Integrated Report
Under Clean Water Act (CWA) section 305(b), states are required to report biennially to the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) on the conditions of their surface waters. The US EPA then compiles these assessments into their biennial “National Water Quality Inventory Report” to Congress. Under CWA section 303(d), states are required to review, make changes as necessary, and submit to the US EPA a list identifying waterbodies not meeting water quality standards and identifying the water quality parameter (i.e., pollutant) not being met. Placement of a waterbody on this list generally triggers development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL).
For 2008, California is integrating the 305(b) assessment and the 303(d) list of impaired waters into a single report, appropriately called the Integrated Report. The North Coast Regional Water Board is responsible for developing and adopting the 2008 Integrated Report for the North Coast Region.
Availability of the Public Review Draft
The “Public Review Draft Staff Report for the North Coast 2008 Integrated Report for the Clean Water Act Section 305(b) Surface Water Quality Assessment and the 303(d) List of Impaired Waters” (Public Review Draft 2008 Integrated Report) will be available for review on or before February 2, 2009 at:
Please contact Rebecca Fitzgerald at 707-576-2650 or rfitzgerald@waterboards.ca.gov if you have any problems accessing the documents via the website.
This notice solicits comments on the Public Review Draft 2008 Integrated Report. The public comment period will open upon the release of the Public Review Draft 2008 Integrated Report. The public comment period will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20, 2009.
Please submit written comments via U.S. Post, e-mail, fax, or delivery to:
Matt St. John, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
5550 Skylane Blvd, Suite A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
phone: 707-570-3762
fax: 707-523-0135
e-mail: mstjohn@waterboards.ca.gov
Any proposed changes to the Public Review Draft 2008 Integrated Report, and staff’s responses to written comments submitted during the public comment period, will be available prior to the Public Hearing.
Public Workshops
Regional Water Board staff will host three public workshops to present the Public Review Draft 2008 Integrated Report and to receive oral and written comments from the public. The workshops will be held as follows:
February 17, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Hearing Room
Regional Water Board Office
5550 Skylane Blvd, Ste A
Santa Rosa, CA
February 18, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Humboldt Bay Room
Red Lion Inn
1929 Fourth Street
Eureka, CA
February 19, 2009
6:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express
707 Montague Road
Yreka, CA
This notice for the public workshops satisfies the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, title 40, sections 25.5 and 25.6. A thirty day notice for the workshops is being provided due to a staff medical condition that makes later workshops impossible. A longer notice period is also not required because the three public workshops and the Public Hearing in April aggregates the amount of time available for public comment to well over 45 days.
Informational Presentation to the Regional Water Board
Regional Water Board staff will present an information item to Regional Water Board members as follows:
March 12, 2009
Hearing Room
Regional Water Board Office
5550 Skylane Blvd, Ste A
Santa Rosa, CA
A separate notice for this Board Meeting will be available in February 2009 at:
Public Hearing
Based on public comments, Regional Water Board staff will incorporate revisions to the Public Review Draft 2008 Integrated Report in the final Staff Report for the North Coast 2008 Integrated Report for the Clean Water Act Section 305(b) Surface Water Quality Assessment and the 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. The Regional Water Board will hold a public hearing on the final 2008 Integrated Report for the North Coast Region as follows:
June 4, 2009
Hearing Room, Regional Water Board Office
5550 Skylane Blvd, Ste A
Santa Rosa, CA
A separate notice for this Board Meeting will be available in May 2009 at:
At the Public Hearing, the Regional Water Board will consider for approval each proposed listing change to the CWA Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters, and will consider adoption of a Resolution in support of its recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board for the statewide 2008 Integrated Report.
Public Hearing Procedures
Written comments received after the public comment period (after 5:00 p.m. on March 20, 2009) will not be accepted, except at the discretion of the Regional Water Board Chair. All those who plan to testify at the Public Hearing are encouraged to submit written statements during the public comment period. Testimony at the Public Hearing may summarize or explain timely submitted or late-accepted written evidence, but new evidence shall not be added. Non-evidentiary policy statements to be made during the Public Hearing need not be submitted in advance. Depending on the number of people wishing to speak at the Public Hearing, the Regional Water Board Chair may set time constraints for oral testimony or comments. A timer may be used and speakers are expected to honor the time limits. Where speakers can be grouped by affiliation or interest, such groups will be expected to select a spokesperson and not be repetitive.
Accessibility
Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation to participate in the public meetings should contact Jean Lockett, Executive Assistant, at 707-576-2307 at least five days prior to the scheduled meeting. The meeting locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. TTY users may contact the California Relay Service at 800-735-2929 or voice line at 800-735-2922.
Staff Contacts
If you have any questions on the 2008 Integrated Report, please contact:
Rebecca Fitzgerald
Project Lead Staff
707-576-2650
rfitzgerald@waterboards.ca.gov
or
Matt St. John
Acting Unit Manager
707-570-3762
mstjohn@waterboards.ca.gov
Catherine Kuhlman
Executive Officer