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State Board - Cannabis Cultivation Water Quality

Overview

On October 17, 2017, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted the Cannabis Cultivation Policy- Principles and Guideline for Cannabis Cultivation (Cannabis Policy) and the General Waste Discharge Requirements and Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Discharges of Waste Associated with Cannabis Cultivation Activities (Cannabis Cultivation General Order). On February 5, 2019, the State Water Board adopted the proposed updates to the Cannabis Policy and Cannabis Cultivation General Order. On April 16, 2019, the Office of Administrative Law approved the updates to the Cannabis Policy. On November 7, 2023 the Cannabis Cultivation General Order was readopted by the State Water Board

The Cannabis Policy will be implemented through the Small Irrigation Use Registration Program and the Cannabis Cultivation General Order. Compliance with the Cannabis Policy is required to obtain a license from the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC).

  Quick Links

Cannabis Cultivation General Order

The Cannabis Cultivation General Order implements the Cannabis Policy requirements; specifically, those requirements that address waste discharges associated with cannabis cultivation activities.

Once an online application is submitted and the applicable fee is paid, a Notice of Applicability (NOA) will be issued to the enrollee by the State Water Resources Control Board.

The Cannabis Policy, Cannabis Cultivation General Order, and adopted documents effective as of April 16, 2019 are linked below:

  Application and Reporting Portal Surveys

The Water Boards Cannabis Cultivation Program Portal now hosts several survey style applications within one online dashboard. For more information, see the Cannabis Cultivation General Order section of the Water Boards Cannabis FAQs.

Application and Reporting Portal

To apply for coverage under the General Order …
Complete the “Cannabis General Order and Small Irrigation Use Registration Portal” survey.
To submit your Annual Monitoring Reports…
Complete the “Online Cannabis Water Quality Monitoring & Reporting Program” survey.
To submit your Notice of Termination…
Complete the “Cannabis Order Termination Request Form” and “Online Cannabis Water Quality Monitoring & Reporting Program” survey for your final monitoring report.

  Cannabis Cultivation Outreach Workshop Recordings



Cannabis Fee Information

Information on the Water Quality Fees Stakeholder Meetings, current fee schedule, and other stakeholder resources can be found on the Fees Stakeholder website. All meetings will be held at the CalEPA Headquarters Building (1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814) and will also be webcast (https://video.calepa.ca.gov/).

Regional Water Boards Contact Information

Regional Water Board Boundary Map


Regional Board Cannabis Programs Websites Regional Board Emails Phone Numbers
North Coast Cannabis Program R1 - North Coast (707) 576-2676
San Francisco Bay Cannabis Program R2 - San Francisco Bay (510) 622-2300
Central Coast Cannabis Programs R3 - Central Coast (805) 594-6194
South Coast Cannabis Program R4 - Los Angeles (951) 782-4130
R8 - Santa Ana (951) 782-4130
R9 - San Diego (951) 782-4130
Central Valley Cannabis Program R5R - Redding (530) 224- 4845
R5S - Sacramento (916) 464- 3291
R5F - Fresno (916) 464- 3291

Eastern California Cannabis Program

 R6 - Lahontan (530) 542-5400
R7 - Colorado River (530) 542-5400

Subscribe to our Cannabis Cultivators email list to receive notifications and the latest updates. After subscribing, you will need to check your email host for a confirmation email to complete the subscription.

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Translation

To request language services, please complete the Language Access Form.

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Los thov rau cov kev pab cuam txhais lus, thov sau kom tiav Daim Foos Mus Siv Lus.

  Contacts

For questions about the Application Portal or questions about cannabis cultivation General Order, please contact us by email or phone at:

For a site-specific question, or a question about submitting a report, contact your Regional Water Board

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