Basin Plan Program
Lahontan Basin Plan
Water quality standards and control measures for surface and ground waters of the Lahontan Region are contained in the Water Quality Control Plan for the Lahontan Region (Basin Plan). The plan designates beneficial uses for water bodies and establishes water quality objectives, waste discharge prohibitions, and other implementation measures to protect those beneficial uses. State water quality standards also include a Nondegradation Policy. Water quality control measures include Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), which are often, but not always, adopted as Basin Plan amendments. See the Lahontan Water Board’s TMDL Program web page for further information.
The Lahontan Basin plan took effect in 1995, replacing three earlier plans. The current edition of the plan includes fully approved sets of amendments adopted since 1995. Click here to view or download the current Basin Plan. Chapters and sections of the plan are available in separate files to facilitate downloading.
In addition to the state standards in the Basin Plan, federal water quality standards for certain toxic pollutants apply to surface waters within California, including the Lahontan Region. These standards are contained in the National Toxics Rule (40 CFR 131.36) and the California Toxics Rule (40 CFR 131.37). The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has adopted a statewide implementation policy for the federal toxics standards, including summary tables listing the standards themselves. The federal standards have not yet been physically incorporated into the Basin Plan.
The National Toxics Rule and California Toxics Rule standards differ from federal water quality criteria in that they are enforceable. Federal criteria are non-enforceable, science-based thresholds that can be used in development of enforceable state water quality standards.
A number of other statewide plans and policies contain water quality control measures that apply in addition to those in the Basin Plan. Some of these documents are included in the appendices to the Basin Plan, but others have not yet been physically incorporated into or referenced in the plan. These documents include the following:
- 2000 California Nonpoint Source Management Plan
- 2004 Policy for Implementation and Enforcement of the Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program
- 2002 Water Quality Enforcement Policy
Basin Plan Update Process
Basin Plan amendments are adopted following noticed public hearings. Public draft Basin Plan amendments and supporting documents (including California Environmental Quality Act substitute environmental documents) are made available for public review for at least 45 days before Water Board action. Written comments are generally requested to arrive by about 30 days before the Board action date to allow adequate time for preparation of written responses, and for full consideration of all comments and responses by the Water Board. Comments received after the “requested by” date will be provided to Board members and included in the administrative record of the Board action, but may or may not receive a written response. Following approval by the Lahontan Water Board, Basin Plan amendments require further approvals by State Water Board, the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL), and (in some cases) the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Plan amendments take effect following approval by the OAL.
Draft Basin Plan Amendments Open for Public Comments
Public draft Basin Plan amendments that are currently open for written public comments and/or public hearing testimony will be posted here, together with supporting documents.
Other Basin Plan Amendments Under Development
Water Board planning staff’s work usually includes several Basin Plan amendment topics that have not yet reached the public draft stage. Announcements of preliminary public stakeholder meetings, including California Environmental Quality Act scoping meetings for these topics will be posted under this heading.
Adopted Amendments Pending Further Approvals
The following Basin Plan amendments have been adopted by the Lahontan Water Board and are awaiting approvals from one or more other agencies.
- Revised Standards for Surface Waters of the Antelope Hydrologic Unit, adopted by the Water Board in November 2007. Contact: Judith Unsicker
Fully Approved Basin Plan Amendments
After they receive all necessary approvals, final plan amendments will be posted in this section until they can be incorporated into the main electronic text of the Basin Plan.
- Squaw Creek Sediment TMDL adopted by the Water Board in April 2006. Contact: Anne Holden
- Clarification of Waste Discharge Prohibitions (Regionwide) adopted by the Water Board in April 2006. These amendments clarified the application of prohibitions to stormwater. Contact: Bud Amorfini.
- Revised Sodium-Related Standards for the Carson and Walker River Watersheds, adopted by the Water Board in October 2006. Contact: Judith Unsicker
Triennial Review of the Basin Plan
To meet state and federal requirements for periodic review of water quality standards and Basin Plans, the Water Board conducts a special public participation process about once every three years. Following an opportunity for written public comments and a public hearing, the Board adopts a non-regulatory priority list of topics for planning staff work over the following three years. The Lahontan Water Board’s latest Triennial Review priority list was adopted in October 2006 (Resolution R6T-2006-0045).
Mailing Lists and Contact Information
Information about the availability of public draft Basin Plan amendments and supporting documents is posted on this web page and sent to the Water Board’s Basin Plan mailing list. To be added to this list, or to request an update of your address, please contact Carrie Hackler at 530 542-5400 or by mail at California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region, 2501 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe CA 96150. Electronic notification of available Basin Planning documents is available by following this link: subscribe.
Technical staff contact information for specific planning projects will be posted with the project links on this web page. If you have general questions about the content of the Basin Plan or the plan amendment process, please contact the Water Board’s Program Manager, Judith Unsicker, via email or by phone at 530 542-5462.
Order a Copy of the Basin Plan
We encourage users to download or print sections of interest from our Website. Electronic copies of the entire plan on compact disks (CD-ROM) can be obtained from the Water Board’s administrative staff (see the contact information above) for personal use or printing at the print shop of the user’s choice.
The Water Board has paper copies of the Basin Plan available for a charge of $65.00. Administrative staff can also provide paper copies of specific pages or sections of the plan upon request for a charge of $0.10 per page. Paper copies of draft plan amendments and supporting documents will be provided free of charge during their public review periods.
(updated 7/31/08)