Triennial Review Process

The Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin (Basin Plan) is the Board's master water quality control planning document.  It designates beneficial uses and water quality objectives for waters of the State, including surface waters and groundwater.  It also includes programs of implementation to achieve water quality objectives.

The federal Clean Water Act (Section 303 (c)) and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act require the Basin Plan to be reviewed and updated periodically (at a minimum every three years). The Regional Board review process includes identification of issues that may enhance water quality protection and presentation of a priority list of issues at a public hearing. The priority list of issues, referred to as the Triennial Review Priority List, includes:

• A (generalized) ranking of water quality issues;
• A brief description of each water quality issue;
• Identification of water quality issues that can be completed with existing resource allocations over a three-year period; and
• Identification of water quality issues requiring additional resources to complete.