Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards as the principal state agencies with authority over matters relating to water quality. Existing law requires the state board to formulate and adopt state policy for water quality control. Existing law authorizes the state board to adopt water quality control plans for waters that require water quality standards pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and provides that those plans supersede any regional water quality control plans for the same waters to the extent of any conflict.

This bill would require the state board, on or before December 31, 2023, to adopt a final update of the 1995 Water Quality Control Plan for the Bay-Delta, San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary, as specified, and to implement the amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary plan adopted by the state board pursuant to Resolution No. 2018-0059 on December 12, 2018. The bill would prohibit the state board board, on or after January 1, 2024, from approving any a new water right permits or extensions of time for any existing permits resulting permit that would result in new or increased diversions to surface water storage from the Sacramento River/San Joaquin River watershed until and unless the state board has taken those actions.