WSPC02269

• File Number: 8282.750
• Description: Colorado River Operations And Accounting - California 4-4 Plan
• State: CA
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 1/1/1998
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Colorado River Board 4-4 Plan - California Water Update Plan - Bulletin 160-98 - Public Review Draft - Volume II - Part III
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

Bulletin 160-98 Public Review Drall

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Appendix 2A. Institutional Framework for Allocating
and Managing Water Resources in Califo:nia

In 1972, the California Legislature passed a law amending the Porter-Cologne Act which

gave California the authority and ability to operate the NPDES permits program, Before a permit

may be issued, Section 401 of the Clean Water Act requires that the Regional Water Quality

Control Board certify that the discharge will comply with applicable water quality standards.

After making the certification, the regional board may issue the permit, satisfying both state and

federal law, In 1987, Section 402 was amended to require the regulation of storm water runoff

under the NPDES.

Safe Drinking Water Act

The SDW A, enacted in 1974 and significantly amended in 1986 and 1996, directed the

EP A to set national standards for drinking water quality, It required the EP A to set maximum

contaminant levels for a wide variety of constituents, Local water suppliers are required to

monitor their water supplies to assure that regulatory standards are not exceeded.

The 1986 amendments set a timetable for the EP A to establish standards for specific

contaminants and increased the range of contaminants local water suppliers were required to

monitor to include contaminants that did not yet have an MCL established. The amendments

included a wellhead protection program, a grant program for designating sole-source aquifers for

special protection, and grant programs and technical and financial assistance to small systems

and states.

The 1996 amendments added a provision requiring states to create their own state

revolving fund in order to be eligible to receive federal matching funds for loans and grants to

public water systems. More details of the 1996 amendments are described in Chapter 2.

California Safe Drinking Water Act

In 1976, California enacted its own Safe Drinking Water Act, requiring the Department

of Health Services to administer laws relating to drinking water regulation including: setting and

enforcing both federal and state drinking water standards, administering water quality testing

programs, and administering permits for public water system operations. The federal Safe

Drinking Water Act allows the state to enforce its own standards in lieu of the federal standards

so long as they are at least as protective as the federal standards. Significant amendments to the

state's act in 1989 incorporated the new federal safe drinking water act requirements into

California law, gave DHS discretion to set more stringent MCLs, and recommended public

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