The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2015-16

ENFORCE: NPDES WASTEWATER

GROUP:

ALL NPDES WASTEWATER FACILITIES

MEASURE: VIOLATION TRENDS. TOTAL BY YEAR

MESSAGE:

2015 continues the recent trend of decreasing violations at NPDES Wastewater Facilities.

*KEY STATISTICS*
Total Number of Violations in 2015:	3,497
Total Number of Violations in 2014:	3,954
Total Number of Violations in 2013:	4,161

MEASUREMENTS - Data last updated on: March 01, 2017

Regional Offices	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Regional Office Total
1	525	432	434	928	320	338	220	321	476	633	459	5,086
2	241	339	295	239	194	207	351	577	334	241	200	3,218
3	385	349	430	133	155	138	148	233	287	309	201	2,768
4	2,038	2,442	2,161	2,328	2,136	1,895	1,958	1,486	1,251	1,013	1,158	19,866
5F	237	279	321	269	171	140	164	114	147	350	115	2,307
5R	145	159	109	61	145	196	200	159	290	116	117	1,697
5S	2,381	2,280	1,805	2,191	2,614	3,289	3,167	1,331	1,024	976	949	22,007
6A	3	1	3	33	101	36	26	5	1	0	0	209
6B	12	124	47	59	34	63	63	11	18	38	30	499
7	166	215	125	197	162	274	235	155	158	144	108	1,939
8	204	173	115	136	37	77	89	104	110	49	41	1,135
9	232	406	257	194	36	51	78	119	65	85	119	1,642
TOTAL	6,569	7,199	6,102	6,768	6,105	6,704	6,699	4,615	4,161	3,954	3,497	62,373

Click on a bar in the charts below, to show details for that region (third chart below).

WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING

The number of total violations documented in calendar 2015 has dropped significantly since 2011. The largest changes have occurred in Region 5S and Region 4 which have since a 70% and 40% drop in violations respectively compared to 2011.

WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT

Violations are detected through monitoring reports, inspections, and complaints. The enforcement policy requires that the Water Boards ensure that all violations are documented in the appropriate Water Board data management system. Identification and documentation of violations is important to ensure that water quality is protected and that serious and high priority violations receive an adequate enforcement response. Tracking violations and compliance rates over time is necessary to assess the effectiveness of the Water Boards enforcement policies and actions.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Data Source: California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS).
Unit of Measure: Documented Violations. Violation date in calendar year 2015.
Data Definitions: Violations with status "violation".
References: The Water Boards' NPDES Program
Public Reports and Data
Office of Enforcement
The Water Boards' Enforcement Policy

GLOSSARY

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES): The NPDES permit program (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act ) controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters. US EPA has approved the Water Board's program to issue NPDES permits.

( Page last updated: 11/9/16 )