Groundwater Contaminant Regulation in California: State Water Board Lowers Notification Levels and Announces First Step Towards Developing an MCL for Certain Compounds

In June of 2018, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Division of Drinking Water (DDW) provided recommendations for PFOA and PFOS notification levels. On July 13, 2018, the State Water Board released guidelines based on DDW’s recommendations for testing and reporting on two PFAS compounds—PFOA and PFOS. The interim notification level for … Continue Reading

California Turning Away From Traditional Imported Water Sources and Toward More Resilient Localized Water Supplies

By Squire Patton Boggs on October 2, 2018 Posted in Water Quality, Water Rights & Resource Management

In 2014 California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which provides the framework for local water management agencies to develop and implement groundwater sustainability plans in order to sustainably manage the state’s groundwater within 20 years. This legislation was California’s first ever attempt to sustainably manage groundwater resources, a long overdue effort given that the state … Continue Reading

California Water Board Sues Federal Agency for Pollutants Entering the U.S. Via the Tijuana River

By Squire Patton Boggs on September 18, 2018 Posted in Clean Water Act, Environmental Litigation, Water Quality

The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) filed a complaint on September 4, 2018 against the United States Section of the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC), alleging violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) related to contamination in the Tijuana River. Relying on a 1944 U.S./Mexico treaty, the complaint alleges that the … Continue Reading