State Water Resources Control Board

The purpose of the State Water Resources Control Board is to preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper water resource allocation and efficient use, for the benefit of present and future generations.

The Water Boards regulate wastewater discharges to surface water (rivers, ocean, etc.) and to groundwater (via land). The Water Boards also regulate storm water discharges from construction, industrial, and municipal activities; discharges from irrigated agriculture; dredge and fill activities; the alteration of any federal water body under the 401 certification program; and several other activities with practices that could degrade water quality.

Responsibility for California's water system is spread among several agencies, including the California Department of Water Resources and the federal government.

Need A Permit?

If your activities, discharges, or proposed activities or discharges from your property or business could affect California's surface, coastal, or ground waters, in most cases you will need to apply for a permit from the appropriate Regional Water Quality Control Board. Discharges to community sewer systems are typically not regulated by Regional Water Quality Control Boards.

If you are discharging pollutants (or proposing to) into surface water you must file a complete National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit application form(s) and appropriate application fee with the appropriate Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Typical activities that affect water include, but are not limited to, the following:

• discharge of process wastewater not discharging to a sewer (factories, cooling water, etc.)
• confined animal facilities (e.g., dairies)
• waste containments (landfills, waste ponds, etc.)
• construction sites
• boatyards
• discharges of pumped groundwater and cleanup (underground tank cleanup, dewatering, spills)
• material handling areas draining to storm drains
• sewage treatment facilities
• sanitary sewer overflows
• filling of wetlands
• dredging, filling and disposal of dredge wastes
• commercial activities not discharging to a sewer (e.g., factory wastewater, storm drain)
• waste to land
• use of recycled water

For further questions, please contact the appropriate Regional Water Quality Control Board