Cal. Code Regs. tit. 23 § 3979
On December 20, 2004, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted Resolution No. R8-2004-0037 to amend Chapter 5 of the Basin Plan to incorporate a nutrient TMDL for the control of nitrogen and phosphorus as factors contributing to the excessive algae growth and low dissolved oxygen in Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake. The TMDL is intended to achieve compliance with existing Basin Plan water quality objectives to prevent excessive algae growth and low dissolved oxygen. The Basin Plan amendment specifies final numeric targets for total phosphorus and total nitrogen for both Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake and also specifies interim and final numeric targets for chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen for both lakes. Monitoring these parameters will provide a method of tracking improvements in water quality resulting from reduction in the loading of nitrogen and phosphorus.
The Basin Plan amendment specifies final TMDL wasteload allocations for point source discharges and load allocations for nonpoint source discharges for total nitrogen and total phosphorus for both Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake. Finally, the Basin Plan amendment specifies an implementation plan for nutrient reduction in both lakes, which includes compliance schedules to meet interim numeric targets as soon as possible, but not later than 2015, and the final numeric targets by 2020, as well as a monitoring program to track progress toward compliance.
The amendment includes a brief description of the Lake Elsinore/San Jacinto watershed and the existing conditions contributing to water quality eutrophication problems. Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake nutrient TMDL numeric targets, load capacity (nutrient TMDLs), wasteload allocations, load allocations, implementation tasks, and compliance dates, margin of safety, plus seasonal variations/critical conditions are discussed.
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 23, § 3979