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Basin Planning

Basin Plan / Triennial Review / Basin Plan Amendments / Monitoring Programs / TMDLs

The Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay 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 Basin Plan has been adopted and approved by the State Water Resources Control Board, U.S. EPA, and the Office of Administrative Law where required.

NEW - Bacteria Water Quality Objectives project - CEQA scoping meeting summary available

Please address any questions regarding these pages or the Basin Plan Triennial Review to Naomi Feger, Planning Section Leader, 510-622-2328, NFeger@waterboards.ca.gov.


Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) for the San Francisco Bay Basin

The Basin Plan is currently being updated to reflect the Basin Plan amendments adopted since 2006. In the meantime, we are providing downloadable, printable chapters in both PDF and in html (which may be read online or printed from the web; html pages also contain many links to related laws, Board orders, etc.). Also below there is a link to a VERY large (62.7MB) PDF of the document with color maps.


PDF including color maps (292 pages, 62.7MB)

Cover page and introduction (PDF, 1.6MB)
Figure 1.1: Map of San Francisco Bay Basin

Table of Contents (PDF, 108KB)

Chapter 2: Beneficial Uses (includes tables; PDF, 425KB)
links to figures in Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Water Quality Objectives (includes tables; PDF, 235KB)

Chapter 4: Implementation Plans (includes tables; PDF, 964KB)
links to figures in Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Plans and Policies (PDF, 158KB)

Chapter 6: Surveillance and Monitoring (182KB)
links to figures in Chapter 6

Chapter 7: Water Quality Attainment Strategies including Total Maximum Daily Loads (PDF, 385KB)


The links below will take you to html pages of Basin Plan chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Beneficial Uses
Chapter 3: Water Quality Objectives
Chapter 4: Implementation Plans
Chapter 5: Plans and Policies
Chapter 6: Surveillance and Monitoring
Chapter 7: Water Quality Attainment Strategies Including Total Maximum Daily Loads



Basin Plan Amendments

Periodically, the Water Board considers amendments to the Basin Plan. Each amendment is subject to an extensive public review process. At a public hearing, the Water Board may act to adopt the amendment. Adopted amendments are subject to approval by State Board. In most cases, the Office of Administrative Law and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) must approve the amendment as well.



Adopted Amendments

Site-Specific Objectives for Copper in San Francisco Bay
Status: Adopted by the Water Board, approved by the State Water Board, and on January 6, 2009 approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Staff Contact: Richard Looker, 510-622-2451


Site-Specific Objectives for Cyanide in San Francisco Bay
Status: Adopted by the Water Board, approved by the State Water Board, and on July 22, 2008 approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Staff Contact: Barbara Baginska, 510-622-2474


Long Term Management Strategy for Dredging
Status: Adopted by the Water Board on June 20, 2001, by the State Board on November 6, 2007 and by the Office of Administrative Law. Staff Contact: Beth Christian, 510-622-2335


Basin Plan Amendments Under Development

Addition of Unnamed Water Bodies & Beneficial Uses
As the Regional Water Board’s master planning document for water quality in the Bay Area, the Basin Plan provides the foundation for regulatory activities, including designation of beneficial uses of the Region’s surface waters (Table 2-1). As first adopted in 1975, the Basin Plan did not assign beneficial uses to all the surface water bodies listed, and many important water bodies were not listed at all.

The Federal Clean Water Act and the California Water Code require the Water Board to protect beneficial uses of our water bodies, regardless of whether those uses are documented in the Basin Plan. Water Board staff is now preparing to propose adding surface water bodies and beneficial uses to the Plan, in order to improve its clarity and completeness. We invite all interested parties to send us names, locations, and information about beneficial uses of surface water bodies located anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Region. We are particularly interested in (1) creeks, lakes, sloughs, and channels that are of interest to you but presently are not named in Table 2-1, and (2) beneficial uses of water bodies named in Table 2-1 without uses assigned. We would appreciate receiving your input by April 10, 2009.

Once we have compiled all available information, we will distribute our proposed Basin Plan amendment with the updated Table 2-1 and an explanatory staff report for public comment. During this formal public comment period, expected in autumn of 2009, you will have a second chance to provide input.

For further information or to submit information on water bodies and beneficial uses, please contact Jan O’Hara at (510)622-5681. To receive future notifications about this project (if you do not already receive them), click here and check the box next to “ALL Basin Planning/TMDL Notices and Information.”


Enterococcus Water Quality Objectives for Marine and Estuarine Waters This proposed Basin Plan amendment will add new enterococcus bacteria water quality objectives for contact recreation in marine and estuarine waters and revise effluent limitations for bacteria in NPDES permits. The new objectives will apply to all San Francisco Bay segments and Tomales Bay. The same objectives are already contained in the California Ocean Plan which applies to coastal ocean waters in the region.

An informational workshop and CEQA scoping meeting was held on December 15th, 2009 (see links below). The proposed amendment and supporting Staff Report are available for public review and comment (see link below). The 45 day public comment period for the proposed amendment expires at 5:00 p.m. on March 22, 2010.

For more information about this project, please contact Richard Looker at (510) 622-2451.

Fact Sheet:
How TMDLs Are Adopted: The Basin Planning Process (pdf)



Triennial Review


2009 Triennial Review
Because the Basin Plan is the master planning document for water quality in the Bay Area, we regularly consider whether updates are needed to address new or changing water quality issues. This evaluation, called the Triennial Review, is required by, and follows the guidelines of, the federal Clean Water Act and the California Water Code.

In 2009 we completed our most recent Triennial Review. Over two dozen individuals and representatives of federal, regional, and neighborhood entities participated in the review process by suggesting or supporting various Basin Plan update projects. After considering all public and internal input, we identified several high-priority basin planning projects.

By resolution adopted on July 8, 2009, the Water Board certified completion of the 2009 Basin Plan Triennial Review and adopted the 2009 Prioritized List of Basin Plan Issues for Investigation (Attachment A to the Resolution).


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