Under the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the State Water Resources Control Board and the California regional water quality control boards are the principal state agencies with regulatory authority over water quality. Under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, each state is required to identify those waters for which prescribed effluent limitations are not stringent enough to implement applicable water quality standards and to establish, with regard to those waters, total maximum daily loads, subject to the approval of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for certain pollutants at a level necessary to implement those water quality standards.

Existing law, inoperative due to a pending referendum election, would prohibit certain stores from providing a single-use carryout bag to a customer and prohibit those stores from selling or distributing a recycled paper bag to a customer at the point of sale unless the store makes that bag available for purchase, as specified.

This bill would suspend the operation of certain amendments to water quality control plans relating to the total maximum daily load for trash unless the provisions inoperative due to a pending referendum election become effective. This bill would require the state board to revisit and revise water quality control plans to address impaired water quality due to trash if the law pending referendum is defeated at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election.