The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) has adopted a new interpretation of the temperature objective for receiving surface waters and has modified its approach to translating the objective into effluent and receiving water limitations for temperature in NPDES permits for surface water discharge. The newly imposed temperature requirements reduce the maximum temperature limitation for treated wastewater effluent and receiving water bodies from 86 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) to 80 °F, with no consideration of background conditions such as elevated ambient air temperatures.
The Regional Board has provided an extended schedule to allow the affected sanitation agencies time to conduct studies on the surface water environment to better understand the relationship between water temperature and health of the biological communities that live in the river. The results of these studies will be used to propose new temperature standards and/or develop plans to implement controls to achieve compliance.
SCCWRP is assisting the sanitation agencies in three ongoing studies related to the revised temperature requirements.
- Los Angeles River (City of Los Angeles Sanitation)
For more information on the Los Angeles River study, please contact Karina Gonzalez karina.x.gonzalez@lacity.org