Water Quality and Supply Issues Monthly Update-MARCH 2024
Happy Spring 2024 to everyone working in the construction industry in California. As we turn the page from winter to spring, our state agencies are working through many different important water quality and supply issues.
This month, we highlight two efforts by the State Water Resources Control Board, one to protect sensitive streams and water bodies from the potential impacts of runoff from construction job sites and another focusing on developing cost-effective outdoor water use and conservation standards that can be applied across the diverse regions of our state.
And, know that we are keeping an eye on our legislators in Sacramento, who continue to consider new bond funding proposals to provide additional flood protection for millions of Californians while at the same time building storage to accommodate the highly variable precipitation we do receive year to year. More on these activities in the months to come after the Spring legislative recess in March.
-Your CICWQ Team
MARCH NEWSWORTHY ITEMS
1) State Water Resources Control Board –Construction General Permit for Stormwater – New High-Risk Receiving Water Mapping Tool Available
At the end of February 2024, the State Water Resources Control Board released a new mapping tool for use in complying with the Construction General Permit (CGP) for Stormwater. The CGP requires construction stormwater dischargers to determine the potential risk the project may have on receiving waters. State Water Board staff prepared the 2022 CGP High-Risk Receiving Water Map Tool to assist dischargers with determining if the project is located in these sensitive watersheds. Learn more about the new mapping tool and other helpful resources from the State Water Board.
Also, if you manage or work on the SWPPP compliance process, make sure and check out new resources available from the State Water Board for updated Qualified SWPPP Developers and Practitioner (QSD/QSP) prerequisite courses, and new resources for training QSP delegates who work on your job sites.
2) Revised California Water Conservation Regulation Comment Period Open Now – Fact Sheet Available
The State Water Resources Control Board formally opened a second public comment period for the proposed Making Conservation a Way of Life regulation. The comment period is open from March 12 until March 27, 2024. The revised draft of the regulation sets water conservation targets for large suppliers in California, including extending timelines, broadening compliance pathways, and increasing flexibility based on public input from the first comment period. The State released a Fact Sheet which provides a summary of the rulemaking, who is impacted and why the rule is important to Californians. Learn more about the proposed regulation and how to participate in the rulemaking process.
3) California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Releases Results of Third Snow Survey Winter 2024
The third manual survey for winter 2024 recorded 47.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 18 inches, which is 77 percent of the average for the Phillips Station location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast.
Check out the latest updates on California's water issues: Evaluating CGP compliance, CASQA's socioeconomic report on stormwater capture, STORMS Unit's StoryMap on stormwater potential, and DWR's second snow survey results for winter 2024.
