Middle Santa Ana River TMDL Task Force
The MSAR TMDL Task Force was formed to implement TMDLs adopted by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to address exceedences of the fecal coliform objective established to protect the REC-1 use for waterbodies located within the Middle Santa Ana River Watershed. The task Force is represented by a number of key watershed stakeholders including the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.
- Geographic Setting
- Background
- Stakeholder Effort
- Resources
- Monitoring Program
Geographic Setting
Middle Santa Ana River Watershed
The Santa Ana River Watershed, located in southern California, is approximately 2,800 square miles in size. Surface water flows begin in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains and flow in a generally northwest to southwest direction to the Pacific Ocean. The Middle Santa Ana River (MSAR) Watershed is 488 square miles in size and located generally in the north central portion of the Santa Ana River Watershed. The watershed includes the southwestern part of San Bernardino County, the northwestern part of Riverside County, and a small portion of Los Angeles County.
Three major geographic areas comprise the MSAR watershed:
Chino Basin (San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County, and Riverside Counties) – Surface drainage in this area, which is directed to Chino Creek and Mill-Cucamonga Creek, flows generally southward, from the San Gabriel Mountains toward the Santa Ana River and the Prado Flood Control Basin.
Riverside Watershed (Riverside County) – Surface drainage in this area is generally northwestward or southwestward from the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Riverside County to Reach 3 of the Santa Ana River.
Temescal Canyon Watershed (Riverside County) – Surface drainage in this area is generally northwest to Temescal Creek.
For further information, please contact Rick Whetsel at SAWPA <first letter of first name><last name>@sawpa.org.
Background
Links
Middle Santa Ana Bacterial Indicator TMDL
Under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, the Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) is required to identify surface waters that do not or are not expected to meet water quality standards (beneficial uses, water quality objectives) with the implementation of technology–based controls. Once a waterbody has been added to the 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies, a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) must be developed for that waterbody and the pollutant causing impairment. A TMDL is established to address the pollutant causing impairment and thereby ensure that a waterbody will attain and maintain water quality standards, taking the existing pollutant loads and reasonably foreseeable increases in pollutant loads into consideration.
In 1994 and 1998, because of exceedences of the fecal coliform objective established to protect the REC-1 use, the RWQCB added various waterbodies in the MSAR watershed to the state 303(d) list of impaired waters. These waterbodies are:
On February 3, 2005, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board amended the Santa Ana River Basin to Incorporate the Middle Santa Ana River Waterbodies Bacterial Indicator TMDLs into the Water Quality Control Plan. The amendment was adopted by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board on August 26, 2005, and approved by the State Water Resources Control Board, Office of Administrative Law on September 1, 2006. The TMDLs were subsequently approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency on May 16, 2007.
For further information, please contact Rick Whetsel at SAWPA <first letter of first name><last name>@sawpa.org.
Stakeholder Effort
Since August 2001, SAWPA has been working with Local stakeholders and the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to address exceedences of the fecal coliform objective established to protect the REC-1 use for waterbodies located within the Middle Santa Ana River Watershed.
With formal adoption of the Middle Santa Ana River Waterbodies Bacterial Indicator TMDLs on August 26, 2005, stakeholders named in the TMDLs began the process to create a formal cost sharing body, or Task Force to implement a number of tasks defined within the TMDLs. These stakeholders include:
U.S. Forest Service
County of San Bernardino;
County of Riverside;
Cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Claremont, Corona, Fontana, Montclair, Norco, Ontario, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Riverside, and Upland;
Agricultural Operators in the Middle Santa Ana River Watershed;
At the request of the stakeholders, SAWPA serves as administer of the task Force. In the role of administrator for the task force, SAWPA provides all TMDL task force meeting organization and facilitation, secretarial, clerical and administrative services, management of task force funds, annual reports of task force assets and expenditures and hiring of task force authorized consultants.
Stakeholders
Chino Basin Watermaster Agricultural Pool
Task Force Documents
Agenda, Meeting Notes, & Handouts
2011
December 8
July 27
March 22
Agenda / Meeting Notes / Handouts
2010
October 26
August 18
June 29
May 19
Agenda / Meeting Notes / Handouts
Agenda / Meeting Notes / Handouts
March 18 Agenda / Meeting Notes / Handouts February 11
January 6
For further information, please contact Rick Whetsel at SAWPA <first letter of first name><last name>@sawpa.org.
Resources
For further information, please contact Rick Whetsel at SAWPA <first letter of first name><last name>@sawpa.org.
Watershed-Wide Compliance Monitoring Program
The purpose of the Watershed-Wide Monitoring Program is to measure compliance with numeric targets established by the MSAR Bacterial Indicator TMDL. These numeric targets are derived from Basin Plan objectives established to protect the REC-1 beneficial use. Compliance sites were selected based on two key criteria:
The sites should be located on waterbodies that are impaired and subject to TMDL compliance requirements; and
The sites should be located in reaches of the impaired waterbodies where REC-1 activity is likely to occur, i.e., there is an increased risk from exposure to pathogens.
Based on these criteria, the MSAR Task Force established six Watershed-Wide sites as TMDL water quality compliance sites.
Water Quality Monitoring Program
MSAR Water Quality Monitoring Plan (2011)
Quality Assurance Project Plan (2011)
MSAR Water Quality Monitoring Plan (2008)
Seasonal Bacterial Indicator TMDL Monitoring Reports
WQ Data (Link to SAWDMS)
