Regulatory Issues and Trends Report Southern California Regional Brine-Concentrate Management Study – Phase I Lower Colorado Region U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation October 2009 Contents Page Abbreviations and Acronyms .................................................................................. vii 1 Introduction and Study Objectives ............................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Study Objectives ........................................................................................ 3 1.3 Study Components ..................................................................................... 3 1.4 Report Objectives ....................................................................................... 4 2 Regulatory Agencies ....................................................................................... 7 2.1 Federal Agencies ........................................................................................ 7 2.1.1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ............................................................. 7 2.1.2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 ............................... 8 2.1.3 Resource Agencies ............................................................................... 8 2.2 State Agencies ............................................................................................ 9 2.2.1 California Department of Public Health ............................................... 9 2.2.2 California Coastal Commission ........................................................... 9 2.2.3 California Department of Environmental Protection ........................... 9 2.2.4 State Resource Agencies .................................................................... 12 3 Plans, Policies, and Regulations .................................................................. 15 3.1 Plan, Policies, and Regulations for Water ................................................ 15 3.1.1 Federal Clean Water Act .................................................................... 15 3.1.2 Federal Safe Drinking Water Act ....................................................... 31 3.1.3 Coastal Zone Management Act .......................................................... 49 3.1.4 California Coastal Act ........................................................................ 49 3.1.5 California Water Code ....................................................................... 51 3.1.6 California Code of Regulations Title 22 ............................................ 67 3.2 Plan, Policies, and Regulations for Air Quality ....................................... 68 3.2.1 Clean Air Act and National Ambient Air Quality Standards ............. 68 3.2.2 California State Implementation Plan for Air Quality ....................... 70 3.3 Miscellaneous Plan, Policies, and Regulations ........................................ 71 3.3.1 California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act .................................................................. 71 3.3.2 Special-Status Species Protection ...................................................... 71 3.3.3 Regulation for Solid Waste ................................................................ 75 4 Regulatory Trends ........................................................................................ 83 5 Summary of Regulations ............................................................................. 85 6 References ..................................................................................................... 87 Regulatory_Issues_Trends.doc iii SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL BRINE-CONCENTRATE MANAGEMENT STUDY – PHASE I REGULATORY ISSUES AND TRENDS Tables Table 1.1 List of BEMT Members ........................................................................... 1 Table 1.2 Summary of Applicable Federal and State Laws and Regulations .......... 5 Table 3.1 SWRCB 303(d) Listed Pollutants/Stressors in the Southern California Study Area ............................................................................. 18 Table 3.2 Ocean Plan Water Quality Objectives .................................................... 22 Table 3.3 Areas of Special Biological Significance in Southern California .......... 28 Table 3.4 Proposed Changes to the California Ocean Plan During Triennial Review .................................................................................................... 29 Table 3.5 Maximum Contaminant Levels and Public Health Goals ...................... 32 Table 3.6 Selected California Action Levels.......................................................... 37 Table 3.7 Classes of Injection Wells ...................................................................... 38 Table 3.8 RWQCB Basin Plan Revision Dates ...................................................... 53 Table 3.9 List of Beneficial Uses for Water Bodies in the Lahontan Region Basin ....................................................................................................... 55 Table 3.10 Selected Lahontan Region Basin Plan Objectives ................................. 55 Table 3.11 List of Beneficial Uses for Water Bodies in the Los Angeles County Basin ....................................................................................................... 57 Table 3.12 Selected Los Angeles Region Basin Plan Objectives ............................ 57 Table 3.13 List of Beneficial Uses for Water Bodies in the Santa Ana River Basin ....................................................................................................... 58 Table 3.14 Selected Santa Ana River Basin Water Quality Objectives ................... 59 Table 3.15 List of Beneficial Uses for Water Bodies in the San Diego County Basin ....................................................................................................... 61 Table 3.16 Selected San Diego Region Basin Plan Objectives ................................ 62 Table 3.17 List of Beneficial Uses for Water Bodies in the Colorado River Basin ....................................................................................................... 63 Table 3.18 Colorado River Basin Plan Objectives ................................................... 64 Table 3.19 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Criteria Pollutants ........... 69 Table 3.20 Federal Non-Attainment Areas for Ozone, PM2.5 and PM10 in Southern California ................................................................................ 70 Table 3.21 Marine Protected Areas in Southern California ..................................... 73 Table 3.22 Landfill Classes in California ................................................................. 75 Table 3.23 California Commercial Offsite Industrial Waste Management Facilities ................................................................................................. 76 Table 3.24 Summary of West Basin Municipal Water District Barrier Project Brine Concentrations .............................................................................. 81 Table 5.1 Summary of Applicable Federal and State Laws and Regulations ........ 85 Regulatory_Issues_Trends.doc iv SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL BRINE-CONCENTRATE MANAGEMENT STUDY – PHASE I REGULATORY ISSUES AND TRENDS Figures Figure 1.1 Map of Southern California Study Area .................................................. 2 Figure 2.1 Regional Water Quality Control Board Boundaries in Southern California ................................................................................................ 13 Figure 3.1 Location of 303(d) Listed Bodies of Water in Southern California ...... 19 Figure 3.2 Areas of Special Biological Significance in Southern California .......... 27 Figure 3.3 Classes of Injection Wells ...................................................................... 39 Figure 3.4 Faults and Groundwater Basins in Ventura County .............................. 41 Figure 3.5 Faults and Groundwater Basins in Los Angeles County ....................... 42 Figure 3.6 Faults and Groundwater Basins in the Inland Empire ........................... 43 Figure 3.7 Faults and Groundwater Basins in Orange County................................ 44 Figure 3.8 Faults and Groundwater Basins in North San Diego County ................ 45 Figure 3.9 Faults and Groundwater Basins in South San Diego County ................ 46 Figure 3.10 Oil and Gas Wells in Southern California ............................................. 47 Figure 3.11 Schematic of a Deep Injection Well ...................................................... 48 Figure 3.12 Location of Critical Coastal Areas in Southern California .................... 50 Figure 3.13 Location of Marine Protected Areas in Southern California ................. 74 Figure 3.14 Location of Landfills in California ........................................................ 77 Figure 3.15 Flow Process Diagram for Toxicity Characteristic ................................ 80 Attachments Attachment A 303(d) List for Bodies of Water from RWQCB Basin Plans in Southern California Attachment B RWQCB Basin Plan Beneficial Uses Attachment C RWQCB Basin Plan Water Quality Objectives Regulatory_Issues_Trends.doc v Abbreviations and Acronyms µg/L micrograms per liter µg/m micrograms per meter afy acre-feet per year AL action level ASBS Areas of Special Biological Significance BEMT