Welcome to the Construction Industry Coalition for Water Quality
Construction General Permit training available now
The Construction Industry Colaition on Water Quality presents the 2-day Qualified SWPPP Practitioner and 3-day Qualified SWPPP Developer Training Course
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Our Mission
CICWQ was created in 2001 to protect the construction industry from the potentially devastating impact of lost revenues and reduced wages that may be caused by the rapidly evolving set of water quality regulations. The rights of property owners, builders, developers and contractors have been threatened by non-scientifically based water quality regulations which are being proposed and implemented at an alarming rate.
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Supporting Members
Top Headlines
Developers win fight on runoff
In a decision that outraged environmentalists and pleased builders, the Southern California Regional Water Quality Control Board recently overturned an innovative new rule designed to control pollution that is carried to local waters and the ocean with the year’s first significant rainfall.
After three years of development, the water board last year approved a “low impact development” plan for Ventura County, requiring developments to hold on the site nearly all water from the first inch of rain in the fall.
Read more at the Ventura County Star»
LA River designated as a navigable waterway
LOS ANGELES - The federal government on Wednesday designated Los Angeles River a full-fledged navigable waterway, affirming the river's tributaries qualify for Clean Water Act protections and settling a long-running dispute over its status.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said the waterway's use by watercraft, plans for restoration and other factors qualify it as a "traditional navigable water." She announced the designation at a news conference on the banks of south Los Angeles' Compton Creek, which feeds into the river.
"This designation assures the community that their local waters are protected by the nation's water laws," Jackson said in a prepared statement. "A clean, vibrant LA River system can help revitalize struggling communities, promoting growth and jobs for residents of Los Angeles."
Effort to improve beach water quality could cost Valley cities millions of dollars
A federal requirement to remove harmful bacteria from the Los Angeles River and the beaches it drains to could cost San Gabriel Valley cities more than $1.3 billion over the next 25 years.
Regional water quality officials will decide Friday how cities will be required to prevent bacteria that stems from dog feces, portable bathrooms and other sources from making its way from their streets, lawns and sidewalks to the waters of Long Beach.
Depending on what they decide, the fixes could cost cash-strapped cities across inland Los Angeles County millions of dollars every year, averaging nearly 10 percent of their budgets, according to Ray Tahir, an environmental consultant and lobbyist working on behalf of some of the affected cities.
"Nearly every city in the San Gabriel Valley will be hit," Tahir said.
Southern California beach erosion is worst in a decade
Powerful winter storms sweep away a spectacular amount of sand, leaving a rugged landscape of rock and cliff-side staircases that drop off into the air.
Jeremy and Fernando Gutierrez descended a staircase to a cove in Laguna Beach for a nighttime lobster dive and almost fell into the ocean.
Even in the darkness, the brothers could see what the problem was -- the sand at Treasure Island Beach had all but disappeared, leaving a rugged landscape of rock and a sudden drop-off where the staircase once led gently to the strand.
"I couldn't believe it," said Fernando Gutierrez, 26, of Costa Mesa. "There was no beach and a 20-foot drop-off."
Builders predict more problems
By Tony Biasotti, March 19, 2010, Ventura County Star
Builders and developers got what they wanted last week when water regulators agreed to revisit the stormwater runoff permit issued last year for Ventura County, a permit the development industry claims would cripple business.
But at a housing and development conference in Camarillo on Friday, the general consensus was that the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will issue a new permit that’s very similar to the old one. Regulators are committed to reducing runoff because it sends polluted water to the ocean and speeds up erosion of hillsides and streams.
"California had a flood-control culture for many years," said Mark Grey, director of environmental affairs for the Building Industry Association of Southern California. "Now we have a sustainability culture."
L.A. County Flood Control District faces state fines
A state Regional Water Quality Control Board recommends nearly $275,000 in fines after the district allegedly allowed bacterial pollution to flow into the harbor at Marina del Rey from 2007 to 2009.
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District faces a state fine of almost $275,000 for allegedly allowing bacterial pollution to flow into the harbor at Marina del Rey for more than two years, officials said Monday.
The staff of the Los Angeles region of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a complaint against the district Feb. 18, recommending $274,896 in fines.
The board, part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, cited 186 violations from 2007 to 2009 of the district's storm water permit, which was issued in accordance with federal and state clean-water standards.
Los Angeles might require rainwater capture
Proposed law would apply to new home-building, larger developments and some redevelopment projects to prevent runoff from reaching the ocean. A builders group has voiced some objections.
A proposed law would require new homes, larger developments and some redevelopments in Los Angeles to capture and reuse runoff generated in rainstorms.
The ordinance approved in January by the Department of Public Works would require such projects to capture, reuse or infiltrate 100% of runoff generated in a 3/4 -inch rainstorm or to pay a storm water pollution mitigation fee that would help fund off-site, low-impact public developments.
California Department of Water Resources releases summary of new water legislation
State Lawmakers approved new water legislation, and the California Department of Water Resources has released a Special Session Policy Bills and Bond Summary.
Click here to view the summary.
State Water Board Approves New Construction Stormwater Permit
On September 2, 2009 the State Water Board approved an update to the Construction General Permit for Stormwater Discharges. The new permit becomes effective July 1, 2010.
Click here to view additional information from the State Water Board's website about the new permit.
Get the Facts
There are major problems with the Construction General Permit. Be sure to read our Presentaiton proposing Solutions to the Draft CGP.
Things You Should Know...
Please visit our issues page to see a list of the regulatory permitting and policy actions that are affecting the construction industry.
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