NOTICE OF SOLICITATION OF PUBLIC COMMENTS
Concerning the
2014 Triennial Review
of the
WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (Basin Plan)
FOR THE NORTH COAST REGION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a 45-day public comment period is now open to solicit public comment on the 2014 triennial review of the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region (Basin Plan) draft proposed Basin Plan amendment project priorities and editorial revisions to Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 of the Basin Plan.

BACKGROUND
The North Coast Region encompasses watersheds from the Oregon state border to the Estero de San Antonio which drain to the Pacific Ocean, and includes Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, and Mendocino counties and portions of Siskiyou, Sonoma, Glenn, Modoc, Lake and Marin counties. The Basin Plan describes beneficial uses for watersheds in the North Coast Region, and establishes objectives and programs to protect those beneficial uses. The purpose of the triennial review is to examine the need to revise and update the Basin Plan, focusing the efforts of Planning staff for the next three-year period. State and federal law require that the Basin Plan be reviewed periodically to accommodate changes in science, technologies, policies, and physical characteristics of the planning areas.

Based on stakeholder, internal comments, and a review of regulatory program needs, Regional Water Board staff has identified a number of potential Basin Plan amendment projects as high priorities under the 2014 triennial review of the Basin Plan. These potential Basin Plan amendment projects are summarized in the staff report dated November 21, 2014; Triennial Review of the Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region for 2014. The proposed Basin Plan amendment project priorities and proposed editorial revisions to Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 of the Basin Plan are included as appendices to the staff report. The staff report and associated documents can be viewed / downloaded from the Regional Water Board website located at:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/water_issues/programs/basin_plan/triennial_review.shtml

DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY
The Regional Water Board held a public workshop in Santa Rosa on November 19, 2014 to solicit comments regarding staff’s draft proposed Basin Plan amendment project priorities. Written public comments on the staff report, proposed editorial amendments, and draft proposed Basin Plan amendment project priority list must be submitted by 5:00pm on January 9, 2015. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for March 12, 2014 and will be separately noticed.

STAFF CONTACT
Alydda Mangelsdorf
Supervisor, Planning Unit
5550 Skylane Boulevard, Suite A
Santa Rosa, California 95403
(707) 576-6735 (ph)
(707) 523-0135 (fax)
Email: Alydda.Mangelsdorf@waterboards.ca.gov