From the State Water Resources Control Board:
The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) will accept written comments on Proposed Amendments to the Seawater Desalination Provisions of the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California (Proposed Project) and hold a public scoping meeting to receive oral input and recommendations on the Proposed Project.
The State Water Board will consider amendments to the Seawater Desalination Provisions of the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Waters of California (Proposed Project) to improve efficiency of planning and permitting seawater desalination facilities while protecting water quality and related beneficial uses of ocean waters, including by minimizing intake and mortality of all forms of marine life and addressing adverse environmental effects of such facilities. In this process, the State Water Board seeks to promote state policies fostering Tribal engagement, environmental justice, and community outreach when planning and permitting seawater desalination facilities.
The State Water Board staff is considering recommendations to amend, at a minimum, the following elements of the Seawater Desalination Provisions in the Ocean Plan, Chapter III.M:
(1) identified need for desalinated seawater;
(2) siting of desalination facilities considering coastal hazards, impacts to groundwater aquifers, and sensitive habitats;
(3) criteria to determine feasibility of subsurface intakes;
(4) methods for assessing intake and mortality of marine life;
(5) calculating and timing of mitigation for impacts to marine life;
(6) timing and sequencing of document submission by project proponents and review by Water Boards;
(7) requirements for pilot projects; and
(8) reporting requirements.
Other topics may be identified during the scoping process.
The full notice is below.
RELATED: Seawater Desalination Siting and Streamlining Report to Expedite Permitting, report prepared by an interagency group in December 2023 to support the directive in the Water Supply Strategy for the State Water Board to “consider amendments to the Desalination Policy in the Ocean Plan [Seawater Desalination Provisions] to streamline permits that meet the recommended siting and design standards for projects located in the identified priority areas and identify available mitigation.”
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