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The California Water Boards' Annual Performance Report - Fiscal Year 2016-17
REGULATE: NPDES WASTEWATER |
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MEASUREMENTS
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WHAT THE MEASURE IS SHOWING
92 percent of all minor facilities regulated in the NPDES Wastewater Program now have their reporting requirements in the Water Boards' database, the California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS). 95 percent of reports due to the Water Boards in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016-17 were received statewide. Of the 2,293 reports received, 1,840 reports (80 percent) were reviewed by Water Board staff.
WHY THIS MEASURE IS IMPORTANT
Self-Monitoring Reports (SMRs) are the primary tool to assess compliance with permit requirements. SMRs are submitted with different frequencies and with different purposes. At a minimum, all regulated facilities are required to submit an annual report, with most facilities also required to submit quarterly reports. Some dischargers may also be required to submit monthly reports and other technical reports. SMRs contain the information required to assess the quality of a regulated facility's discharge and the facility's compliance with its permit. SMRs typically include both the data required by the permit as well as any additional date the permitted has collected, consistent with permit requirements. SMRs often include an assessment of discharge conditions, analysis performed by a certified laboratory, and field measurements (such as pH and stream flow). Regional Board staff review reports to determine if the reports are complete, and if the reported values are within the permitted limits. In 2010, the Water Boards transitioned to tracking both paper and electronic form monitoring reports due, received, and reviewed in the CIWQS database. This card shows the progress towards tracking monitoring and reviewing reports from all permitted facilities.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
- Data Source: CIWQS. Period July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.
- Unit of Measure: Number of self-monitoring reports that were due, received or reviewed during FY 16-17.
- Data Definitions: Self-monitoring report required in Waste Discharge Requirements and NPDES permits. Data includes all Self-monitoring report types and frequencies.
- References: Information on the Water Boards' NPDES program
Public Reports and Data
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Information
GLOSSARY
Self Monitoring Report The form used to report self-monitoring results by regulated facilities. Self Monitoring: Sampling and analyses performed by a facility to determine compliance with a permit or other regulatory requirements.
CIWQS The California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS) is a web-based relational database for core regulatory data. Using this system, both staff and the public can access data related to places of environmental interest, permits and other orders, inspections and violations and enforcement activities.
Minor Facility A minor facility is a discharge with a design flow of less than one million gallons per day (MGD) that has not been determined to have an actual or potential adverse environmental impact classifying the discharge as major.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) The NPDES permit program (CWA Section 402) 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.
NPDES Permit The Clean Water Act prohibits anybody from discharging "pollutants" through a "point source" into a "water of the United States" unless they have an NPDES permit. The permit contains limits on what can be discharged, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to protect water quality and public health. In essence, the permit translates general requirements of the Clean Water Act into specific provisions tailored to the operations of each person discharging pollutants.