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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Central Valley Reg Water Quality Control Board AGENDA Wednesday, I arch 9, 2016 Public ()�'k.'�a�'1 on the Sa a�rr� to � p.m. Kern County Board of Regulation of Oil Fields Supervisors Chambers m Ill E. Tru ,tun Avenue, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Bakersfield, CA 53305 Control) Board BUTTE' ,r � cuArw FEB THIS ORI SHOP WILL, NOT BE ' BCASµ l The Central Valley Board strives to conduct accessible, orderly, and fair meetings. The Board abides by the following rules when conducting its meetings: ■ No person is required to register their name or provide other information to the Board in order to attend a Board meeting. Completing an attendance card is voluntary, unless you wish to testify before the Board. • Anyone speaking to the Board will be requested to complete an attendance card.. Items on this Agenda are numbered for identification purposes off; the Board may consider these items out of their listedorder. Board agendas and the minutes of prior meetings are posted on the Beard's website at: httrx//www.w terboawds.ca.coyicentrglvallgy board infofrneetin Questions regarding individual items should be directed to the Board staff person whose name and phone number are indicated with the agenda item. If no staff person is listed, or for general questions, please contact Ms. Kiran Lanfranchi-Rizzardi at: (916)464-4839 or kla nfrancN 'D�waterboards. a. The Board meeting will be conducted at a facility that is accessible to people with disabilities. Persons requiring special accommodations are asked to contact Ms. Lanfranchi-Rizzardi at(916)464-4839 at least 5 working days prior to the meeting. TTY users may contact the California Relay Service at 1-800-735-2929 or voice line at 1-800-735-2922. ELECTRONIC PRESENTATIONS PowerPoint and other electronic presentations are frequently presented at the Board 'Meetings. Please e-mail presentations to the Board's Webmaster at vwel rruaster5 waterlaoards.ca® civ at least 24 hours in advance, or bring your files either on a USB dash Drive or CIS-ROM and give them to Board Staff prior to the start of the meeting. N m I It �K 1. Introductions and Pledge of Allegiance 2. Meeting Rules and Procedures 3, Board Member Communications--Board Members and the State Board Liaison Member may discuss meetings, communications, correspondence, or other items of general interest relating to matters within the Board's jurisdiction. There will be no voting or formal action taken 4. Public Forum —Any member of the public may address the Board on any matter within the Board's jurisdiction and not scheduled for consideration at this meeting, or pending before the Board 5. Public Workshop Concerning the Regulation of Oil Fields [Ron Holcomb (559) 445-60501 1 MEETING PROCEDURES The Central Valley Water Board circulates item-specific Notices and/or Hearing Procedures along with draft of its Orders and Amendments. If there is a conflict between an item-specific Notice or Hearing Procedure and the Meeting Procedures in this Agenda,the item-specific Notice or Hearing Procedure will control. Please contact Board staff if you do not know whether there is a Notice or Hearing Procedure for a specific item. The statutes and regulations that govern the Central Valley Water Board's meetings can be found at: http://www.waterboards,ca,_qov/laws reaulations/ All persons may speak at a Central Valley Water Board meeting, and are expected to orally summarize their written submittals. Oral presentations will be limited in time by the Board Chair, and a timer may be used. Where speakers can be grouped by affiliation or interest, such groups are expected to select a spokesperson and to not be repetitive. The Board will accommodate spokespersons by granting additional time if other group members will not also be speaking. Written materials that are received after deadlines set by item-specific Notices and/or Hearing Procedures will not generally be admitted. Any person requesting to submit late materials must demonstrate good cause, and the Chair must find that the admission of the late materials would not prejudice the Central Valley Water Board or any designated party. The Chair may modify this rule to avoid severe hardship. PROCEDURE FOR RULEMAKING AND INFORMATIONAL PROCEEDINGS (Including Basin Planning, Rulemaking, Setting of Policy, and Workshops) The regulations for rulemaking and informational proceedings are found in California Code of Regulations, title 23, sections 649 et seq. Rulemaking proceedings include hearings designed for the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule, regulation, or standard of general application. Informational proceedings include any hearings designed to gather and assess facts, opinions, and other information relevant to any matters within the jurisdiction of the Boards and whose primary purposes are to assist the Boards in the formulation of policy or guidelines for future Board action, to inform the public of Board policies, reports, orders, plans, or findings, and to obtain public comment and opinion with respect to such policies, reports, orders, plans, or findings, or to adopt such policies, reports, orders plans, or findings. For rulemaking and informational proceedings, the Board does not distinguish between Designated Parties and Interested Persons; the Board will accept any evidence that is reasonably relevant, provided that it is submitted in accordance with any item-specific Notice or Hearing Procedure, Order of Proceeding: for rulemaking and informational proceedings, the proceeding will be generally be conducted in the following order, unless modified by the Board Chair or specified differently in an item-specific Notice or Hearing Procedure: • Opening statement by the Board summarizing the subject matter and purpose of the proceeding • Presentation by Board staff ■ Presentations by all other persons ■ Recommendation by the Board's Executive Officer(as appropriate) ■ Close of the Hearing, followed by deliberation and voting by the Board (as appropriate) PETITION PROCEDURE Any person aggrieved by an action of the Central Valley Water Board may petition the State Water Board to review the action in accordance with Water Code section 13320 and California Code of Regulations, title 23, sections 2.050 and following. The State Water Board must receive the petition, by 5:00 p.m., 30 days after the date of the issuance of the Order, except that if the thirtieth day following the issuance of the Order falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or state holiday, the petition must be received by the State Water Board by 5:00 p.m. on the next business day. Copies of the law and regulations applicable to filing petitions will be provided upon request or may be found at: htt //www.waterboards.ca.gov/public notices/petitions/w gpL _quality Updated February 22, 2016 ......... -------- ------- CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD CENTRAL VALLEY REGION The primary duty of the Central Valley Water Board is to protect the quality of the waters within the Central Valley Region for all beneficial uses. This duty is implemented by formulating and adopting water quality plans for specific ground or surface water basins and by prescribing and enforcing requirements on all agricultural, domestic, and industrial waste discharges. Specific responsibilities and procedures of the Boards and the State Water Resources Control Board are contained in the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act. BOARD MEMBERS CITY OF RESIDENCE TERM EXPIRES Jon Costantino Grass Valle 9/30/2019 Carmen L. Ramirez` Atwater 9/30/2017 Karl E. Longley Fresno 9/30/2017 Robert Schneider Davis 9/30/2018 Denise Kadara Allensworth 9/30/2018 *Pu biic member in accordance with Water Code section 13201(c) Pamela C. Creedon, Executive Officer Kiran Lanfranchi-Rizzardi, Administrative AssistantXlerlr to the Board Patrick Pulupa, Attorney 111 Stephanie Yu, Attorney N Andrew Deeringer, Attorney 1 SACRAMENTO OFFICE FRESNO OFFICE 11020 Sun Center Drive, Suite 200 1685 E Street Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-6114 Fresno, CA 93706 Telephone: (916)464-3291 Telephone: (559)445-5116 Fax: (916)464-4758 Fax: (559)445-5910 Assistant Executive Officers: Assistant Executive Officer: Adam Laputz Clay Rodgers Andrew Altevogt Linda Bracamonte Supervisors: Dale Harvey Supervisors_ : Doug Patteson Bob Chow Lonnie Wass Brett Braidman Seniors: Brian Newman Dale Essary Russell Walls David King Daniel Carlson Scott Hatton Jeanne Chilcott David Sholes Shelton Gray Nichole Morgan Matt Scroggins Warren Gross Robert Busby Ron Holcomb Stewart Black Sue McConnell REDDING OFFICE Wendy Wyels 364 Knollcrest Drive, Suite 205 Redding, CA 96002 Seniors: Telephone: (530) 224-4845 Anne Littlejohn Fax: (530) 224-4857 Brett Stevens Kari Holmes Assistant Executive Officer: Charlene Herbst Marie McCrink Clint Snyder Cori Condon Marty Hartzell Daniel McClure Michelle Wood Supervisors: Elizabeth Lee Patrick Morris Bryan Smith Gerald Djuth Scott Armstrong Angela Wilson Howard Hold Steve Rosenbaum Seniors: Jim Marshall Steven Meeks Ben Lefton Josh Palmer Susan Fregien George Day Joe Mello George Low Jeremy Pagan Kate Burger Updated February 22, 2016 ITEM: 5 SUBJECT: Oil Field Regulation and forthcoming General Orders BOARD ACTION: Workshop for stakeholders and the general public about oil field issues and forthcoming General Orders. TOPICS: California is a major oil producing state, and approximately 75% of the State's production is within the Central Valley. With the production of oil, comes water previously trapped in geologic formations. Produced water can be high in salts and contains other constituents that may pose a threat to groundwater,'including petroleum hydrocarbons. The Central Valley Water Board's oil field program regulates oil field discharges to land. One common method of produced water disposal is discharge to unlined ponds. Disposal is by evaporation and percolation. There are about 700 active produced water ponds within California's Central Valley, and approximately 400 of the ponds are currently operating without Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs). Some of the ponds operating under WDRs have outdated WDRs that do not reflect recently promulgated laws and regulations. As previously reported, Central Valley Board staff has inventoried, inspected, and issued information and enforcement orders to pond operators. In order to address ponds operating without WDRs, or under outdated WDRs, Central Valley Water Board staff is drafting three new General Orders. These General Orders will provide oil field operators that can be protective of water quality, with a means for complying with current laws and regulations. The three General Orders are categorized to address the various threats to groundwater, and will be a primary focus of the workshop. The work shop will focus on the framework and potential requirements of the General Orders. Central Valley Water Board staff will also provide an update of oil field program activities related to underground injection control, oil well stimulation, as defined under Senate Bill 4 (SB4), and food safety. Much produced water and'other oil field wastes are injected through wells into underground porous geologic formations for disposal. These formations must be exempt from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Permits for these wells are issued by California's Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). The DOGGR, in conjunction with the State Water Board and Central Valley Water Board have been reviewing aquifer exemption applications and individual project.applications submitted by oil field operators. The emphasis on the Water Board's review is to ensure that injected materials will remain in the intended formations and will not adversely impact waters with existing or potential beneficial uses. The State Water Resources Control Board, as required by SB4 (2013), has promulgated groundwater monitoring criteria to help protect groundwater from well stimulation activities. Central Valley Water Board staff, in conjunction with State Water Board staff, is reviewing the resulting groundwater monitoring plans to ensure compliance with the criteria and the protection of groundwater quality. Updated February 22, 2016 Several irrigation districts in the Central Valley use produced water for irrigation. This produced water is low in TDS, boron, and chloride, and considered good quality. The produced water is treated and mixed with fresh water prior to irrigation. The public has expressed concerns because of the possible presence of oil field chemical constituents in reused produced water. In order to address these concerns, the Central Valley Water Board has established a panel of experts to help identify data gaps and possible risks to public health. The Food Safety-Oil Field Wastewater Reuse Expert Panel met on 12 January 2016. The Central Valley Water Board staff will continue to facilitate Panel activities. Management Review: WDH Legal Review: Updated February 22, 2016