Mission Statement
"Our mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California's water resources, and ensure their proper allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations."
There are two Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCBs) that have jurisdiction within Orange County. The Santa Ana RWQCB has jurisdiction in the northern portion of the county and the San Diego RWQCB has jurisdiction in the southern portion of the county. The dividing line is approximately El Toro Road. The Regional Boards, among other things, issue the municipal Stormwater permits within Orange County.
SANTA ANA REGION
The municipal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater Permittees within the Santa Ana Region include the County of Orange, the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD) and the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Woods, La Habra, La Palma, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.
The Santa Ana Region continues to be one of the most rapidly growing areas of the State. While the region is geographically the smallest (nearly 3,000 square miles), it boasts one of the largest populations (almost five million people). Extensive groundwater basins underlie much of the region, but local recharge provides only a fraction of the area's water needs, which are primarily met by imported water. The Santa Ana River, the region's main surface water body, transports more than 125 million gallons per day of reclaimed water from Riverside and San Bernardino Counties for recharge into the Orange County Groundwater Basin. This satisfies approximately 40 percent of the county's water demand. This semiarid region is known for its temperate climate and relatively low rainfall -- about 15 inches per year. The Regional Board's office is located in Riverside.
SAN DIEGO REGION
The municipal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater Permittees within the San Diego Region include the County of Orange, the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD) and the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.
What else is being done to control stormwater pollution?
The federal Clean Water Act requires various industrial facilities, construction sites, and urban areas with more than 100,000 people to control the amount of pollutants entering their storm drain systems.
Industrial facilities and construction sites are regulated by the State Water Resources Control Board www.swrcb.ca.gov through general stormwater permits. Cities and counties are regulated through permits issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Boards.
For Northern and Central Orange County:
Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board www.swrcb.ca.gov/~rwqcb8/
For Southern Orange County: San Diego
Regional Water Quality Control Board www.swrcb.ca.gov/~rwqcb9/.
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