171 



WRITTEN TESTIMONY ON HR 31 



SUBMITTED BY THE 



CALIFORNIA WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD 



BEFORE THE JOINT HEARING OF THE 



HOUSE COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE 



AND FISHERIES SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY, 



GULF OF MEXICO AND THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 



AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 



ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 



WASHINGTON, DC 



JULY 15, 1993 



BACKGROUND 



There is no other state In this nation with as extensive a coastline coupled with a 

 population as dense as that of California. 



Even without considering the millions of out-of-state and international visitors who 

 visit its shores annually, some 80 percent of California's 31.5 million residents live 

 within a 30-minute drive of its 1,118 coastline. Eight million people live near Santa 

 Monica Bay alone and because so many live in such close proximity, the coast's 

 attraction as a valuable natural resource is continually threatened. 



The public agency with primary responsibility for protecting this resource is the State 

 Water Resources Control Board, a five-member Board appointed by the Governor to 

 protect California's water quality and to allocate rights to surface water use. In 

 protecting the state's waters, the State Water Board worlds with nine Regional Water 

 Quality Control Boards located in each of the State's major watersheds. These 

 Regions are charged with maintaining the quality of their Region's water bodies. Six 

 of the nine Regional Water Boards are located along California's coastline. 



The state's primary mechanism for protecting coastal waters from unauthorized 

 discharges is the State Water Board's 1972 Ocean Plan which is reviewed every three 

 years to facilitate inclusion of additional protective amendments. In 1990 

 amendments were approved which, for the first time, set objectives for dioxin, 

 tributyltin, endosulfan and selenium in coastal waters with modified objectives for 

 cyanide and chlorine. To better protect those participating in coastal water-contact 

 recreation, new bacterial assessment requirements designed to identify contamination 

 sources were also adopted. 



