Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1454


Introduced by Assembly Memberbegin delete Linderend deletebegin insert Wagnerend insert

February 27, 2015


An act to amend Sectionbegin delete 13142end deletebegin insert 13170.2end insert of the Water Code, relating to the State Water Resources Control Board.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1454, as amended, begin deleteLinderend delete begin insertWagnerend insert. State policy for water qualitybegin delete control.end deletebegin insert control: California Ocean Planend insert.

Under existing law, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the state policy for water quality control is required to consist of water quality principles and guidelines for long-range resource planning, water quality objectives, and other principles and guidelines deemed essential by the State Water Resources Control Board for water quality control.begin insert The act requires the state board to formulate and adopt a water quality control plan for ocean waters of the state, which is known as the California Ocean Plan, and requires the plan to be reviewed at least every 3 years.end insert

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This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

end delete
begin insert

This bill would instead require the plan to be reviewed at least every 4 years.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 13170.2 of the end insertbegin insertWater Codeend insertbegin insert is amended
2to read:end insert

3

13170.2.  

(a) The state board shall formulate and adopt a water
4quality control plan for ocean waters of thebegin delete stateend deletebegin insert state,end insert which shall
5be known as the California Ocean Plan.

6(b) The plan shall be reviewed at least everybegin delete threeend deletebegin insert fourend insert years to
7guarantee that the current standards are adequate and are not
8allowing degradation to indigenous marine species or posing a
9threat to human health.

10(c) In formulating the plan, the state board shall develop
11bioassay protocols to evaluate the effect of municipal and industrial
12waste discharges on the marine environment.

13(d) The state board shall adopt the bioassay protocols and
14complementary chemical testing methods and shall require their
15use in the monitoring of complex effluent ocean discharges. For
16purposes of this section, “complex effluent” means an effluent in
17which all chemical constituents are not known or monitored. The
18state board shall adopt bioassay protocols and complementary
19chemical testing methods for complex effluent ocean monitoring
20by January 1, 1990, and shall require their use in monitoring
21complex effluent ocean discharges by entities discharging 100
22million gallons per day or more by January 1, 1991. The state
23board shall also adopt a schedule for requiring the use of these
24protocols for complex effluent ocean discharges of under 100
25million gallons per day by January 1, 1992.

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26

SECTION 1.  

Section 13142 of the Water Code is amended to
27read:

28

13142.  

(a) State policy for water quality control shall consist
29of all or any of the following:

30(1) Water quality principles and guidelines for long-range
31resource planning, including groundwater and surface water
32management programs and control and use of recycled water.

33(2) Water quality objectives at key locations for planning and
34operation of water resource development projects and for water
35quality control activities.

36(3) Other principles and guidelines deemed essential by the state
37board for water quality control.

P3    1(b) The principles, guidelines, and objectives shall be consistent
2with the state goal of providing a decent home and suitable living
3environment for every Californian.

end delete


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