The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2015-16
ENFORCE: NPDES WASTEWATER
GROUP:
ALL NPDES WASTEWATER FACILITIES
MEASURE:
VIOLATIONS PER FACILITY
MESSAGE:
In most regions, a small number of facilities have excessive violations. Regions 4 and 5s have the most total violations.
KEY STATISTICS FOR 2015
Average Number of Violations per facility in violation
7.25
Facilities with 1-25 violations
463
Facilities with more than 25 violations
19
MEASUREMENTS
- Data last updated on:
March 01, 2017
Region
NPDES Facilities
Facilities with 1-25 violations during 2015
Facilities with more than 25 violations during 2015
Total Violations
Average Number of Violations per facility in violation
1
71
26
4
447
14.90
2
256
45
1
206
4.48
3
136
19
2
202
9.62
4
455
201
4
1,147
5.60
5F
77
16
1
116
6.82
5R
79
24
0
132
5.50
5S
234
77
6
938
11.30
6
19
4
0
30
7.50
7
46
11
1
103
8.58
8
128
9
0
41
4.56
9
162
31
0
119
3.84
TOTAL
1,663
463
19
3,481
Avg. 7.25
WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
Most facilities are in compliance with their permits. However, most regions have a small number of facilities that have excessive violations.
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. Facilities with more than 25 violations may indicate a chronic problem of noncompliance.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Data Source: CIWQS. Period: January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016.
Unit of Measure: Number of Violations documented.
Data Definitions: Violations with status "violation".
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.
