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Source: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ocean/cwa316/policy.html

Ocean Standards - CWA §316(b) Regulation

COOLING WATER INTAKE STRUCTURES

ONCE-THROUGH COOLING WATER POLICY - OFFICIAL POLICY DOCUMENTATION

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On May 4, 2010, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted the statewide Water Quality Control Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling (Once-Through Cooling or OTC Policy) under Resolution Number 2010-0020. The OTC Policy became effective on October 1, 2010, and was amended in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017. The OTC Policy establishes uniform, technology-based standards to implement federal Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 316(b) and reduce the harmful effects associated with cooling water intake structures on marine and estuarine life. Once-Through Cooling Policy – CURRENT VERSION– Effective December 5, 2023

Policy Amendments

2023 – Amendment to Revise the Compliance Schedules for Alamitos, Huntington Beach, Ormond Beach, and Scattergood Generating Stations and Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

OAL Approval 2023
- This amendment’s administrative record was reviewed and approved by the Office of Administrative Law on December 5, 2023
OTC Policy Amended 2023
- Resolution 2023-0025 – August 15, 2023
- Final Amendment to the OTC Policy – August 15, 2023
- Final Staff Report – August 15, 2023
- Presentation by State Water Board Staff – August 15, 2023
- Presentation by State Water Board Staff (en Español) – August 15, 2023
- Adoption Meeting Video – August 15, 2023
- Public Hearing Video – March 7, 2023
- Change Sheet #1
- Proposed Final Amendment – July 26, 2023
- Proposed Final Staff Report – July 26, 2023
- Responses to Comments – July 26, 2023
- Draft Amendment – January 31, 2023
- Draft Staff Report – January 31, 2023
- Notice of Consideration of Adoption – June 30, 2023

2021 – Amendment to Revise the Compliance Schedule for Redondo Beach Generating Station

OAL Approval 2021
- This amendment’s administrative record was reviewed and approved by the Office of Administrative Law on December 23, 2021
OTC Policy Amended 2021
- Final Amendment to the OTC Policy – October 19, 2021
- Final Staff Report – October 19, 2021
- Presentation by State Water Board Staff – October 19, 2021
- Presentation by California Public Utilities Commission and California Independent System Operator – October 19, 2021
- Public Hearing and Adoption Meeting Video – October 19, 2021
- Revised Responses to Comments – October 5, 2021
- Proposed Final Amendment to the OTC Policy – September 17, 2021
- Proposed Final Staff Report – September 17, 2021
- Responses to Comments – September 17, 2021
- Draft Amendment to the OTC Policy
- Draft Staff Report
- Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment, Public Hearing, and Consideration of Adoption

2020 – Amendment to Revise Compliance Schedules for Alamitos, Huntington Beach, Ormond Beach, and Redondo Beach Generating Stations and Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

California Natural Resources Agency Notice of Decision
OAL Approval 2020
- Approval Letter – Effective date November 30, 2020
- Concise Regulatory Summary
- Form 400 - File Description: Notice Publication/Regulation Submission to the Office of Administrative Law (OAL). The administrative record for the Water Quality Control Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling (OTC Policy) amendment was filed on October 14, 2020, at 4:18pm with OAL as a 11353 Regular submission, and assigned the Regulatory Action Number 2020-1014-02S. The form specifies that the submission amends Title 23 Section 2922 of the California Code of Regulations and that the provisions become effective upon OAL approval. Deputy Director of the Division of Water Quality at the State Water Resources Control Board, Karen Mogus, signed the form for submission on October 14, 2020. OAL endorsed approval was stamped in the bottom right corner of the document on November 30, 2020. The Secretary of State stamped the form in the upper right corner of the document on November 30, 2020, at 1:34pm with a stamp titled "Endorsed - filed in the Secretary of State of the State of California." With these stamps, the OTC Policy amendment is approved and effective as of November 30, 2020.
OTC Policy Amended 2020
- Final Amendment to the OTC Policy – September 1, 2020
- Final Staff Report – September 1, 2020
- Resolution 2020-0029 – September 1, 2020
- Presentation by State Water Board Staff – September 1, 2020
- Presentation by the California Public Utilities Commission – September 1, 2020
- Public Hearing and Adoption Meeting Video – September 1, 2020
- Proposed Final Amendment to the OTC Policy – August 18, 2020
- Proposed Final Staff Report – August 18, 2020
- Responses to Comments – August 18, 2020
- August Joint Letter from the CPUC, CAISO, and CEC – August 28, 2020
- Comments from Legislators – Public Forum – July 21, 2020 State Water Board Meeting – Comments begin at 1:40 (minutes:seconds) in the video
- May Joint Letter from the CPUC, CAISO, and CEC – May 27, 2020
- Third Revised Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment, Public Hearing, and Consideration of Adoption – Board Meeting changed to September 1, 2020
- Public Board Workshop Staff Presentation on the Proposed OTC Policy Amendment – April 21, 2020
- Draft Amendment to the OTC Policy – March 18, 2020 (Draft Policy Amendment in strike-out and underline format)
- Draft Staff Report – March 18, 2020
- Joint Letter from the CPUC, CAISO, and CEC – May 27, 2020

2017 - Encina Power Station Compliance Date Extension Amendment

OTC Policy - Amended 2017
- Resolution 2017-0047
- Final Staff Report
State Water Board Meeting on August 15, 2017
- Notice of Adoption Hearing and Notice of Opportunity to Comment – Comment Deadline is July 7, 2017 by 12 noon
- Appendix A (Policy Amendment in strike-out and underline format)
- Public Comments
- Response to Public Comments

2016 - Moss Landing Power Station Compliance Date Extension Amendment

OTC Policy - Amended 2016
- Adopted Resolution 2015-0018
OAL Approval 2016

2014 - Reassignment of NPDES Permitting Responsibility to Regional Boards Amendment

OTC Policy - Amended 2014
- Adopted Resolution 2013-0018
Filing of Notice of Decision
- Memorandum to the Secretary of Resources
OAL Approval 2014
State Water Board Meeting on June 18, 2013
- Notice of Adoption Hearing and Notice of Opportunity to Comment – Comment Deadline is June 4, 2013 by 12 noon.
- Draft Staff Report
- Appendix A
- Public Comments
- Response to Public Comments

2012 - LADWP Power Stations Compliance Dates Extension and Additional Entrainment Measures Amendment

OTC Policy- Amended 2012
- Adopted Resolution 2011-0033
Filing of Notice of Decision – May 17, 2012
- Memorandum to the Secretary of Resources
- Memorandum to the Department of Fish and Game
OAL Approval 2012
State Water Board Meeting on July 19, 2011
- Notice - signed May 17, 2011
- Once-Through Cooling Policy Draft Amendment Fact Sheet
- Draft Staff Report (May 20, 2011) | Revised (June 23, 2011)
- Appendix A - Proposed Policy Amendment
- Appendix B - LADWP Implementation Plan
- Appendix C - Draft Environmental Check List
- Appendix D - Calculations for Worst Case and Other Scenarios
- Change Sheet
- Public Comments »» Response to Comments
State Water Board Meeting on December 14, 2010
- Notice - October 1, 2010
- Draft Staff Report
- Appendix A – Proposed Policy Amendment
- Appendix B – Draft Environmental Checklist
- Public Comment Letters - Deadline was November 19, 2010
- Draft Responses to Public Comments

2010 Policy Adoption

Final Adopted OTC Policy - October 1, 2010
- Final Substitute Environmental Document (2010 Final SED)
Filing of Notice of Decision
- Memorandum to the Secretary of Resources
- Memorandum to the Department of Fish and Game
OAL Approval - September 27, 2010
State Water Board Adoption Meeting – May 4, 2010, Sacramento, CA
- Transcript
- Adopted Resolution
- Board Agenda Item 5 (includes Draft Resolution)
- OTC Policy adopted on May 4, 2010
- OTC Policy Redline Version - Showing Changes from the March 22, 2010 Draft
- Final Substitute Environmental Document (final SED)
- Appendix A – Draft Final Policy (Clean Version)
- Appendix B – Final Environmental Checklist
- Appendix C – Joint Proposal of Energy Agencies (July 22, 2009)
- Appendix D – Final Expert Review Panel Responses (July 31, 2008)
- Appendix E – Entrainment and Impingement Estimates (Steinbeck, July 2008)
- Appendix F – Entrainment and Impingement Estimates, Updated for Delta Plants (Steinbeck, January 2010)
- Appendix G – Final Responses to Public Comments
Notice of State Water Board Adoption Meeting
- Notice of Adoption Meeting | Revised Notice of Adoption Meeting (posted 3/24/10)
- Public Comments received by April 13, 2010
- OTC Policy Redline Version - Showing Changes from the Nov. 23, 2009 Draft
- Draft Final Substitute Environmental Document (draft final SED)
- SED Appendices
- Appendix A – Draft Final Policy (Clean Version)
- Appendix B – Draft Environmental Checklist
- Appendix C – Joint Proposal of Energy Agencies (July 22, 2009)
- Appendix D – Final Expert Review Panel Responses (July 31, 2008)
- Appendix E – Entrainment and Impingement Estimates (Steinbeck, July 2008)
- Appendix F – Entrainment and Impingement Estimates, Updated for Delta Plants (Steinbeck, January 2010)
- Appendix G – Draft Responses to Public Comments
State Water Board Public Workshop - December 1, 2009, Sacramento, CA
- Transcript
- Board Agenda
- Item 8 (includes draft resolution)
- Revised Draft Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling
- Clean Version
- Redline Version - Showing Changes from the June 30, 2009 Draft
- Public Comments Received by December 8, 2009
State Water Board Public Hearing on September 16, 2009 in Sacramento
- Notice of Public Hearing - September 16, 2009
- Public Comments Received by September 30, 2009
- Draft Substitute Environmental Document for Proposed Policy on Power Plant Cooling (posted 7/15/09)
- Draft Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling (posted 6/30/09)
- Staff Presentation
- Transcript of Hearing (corrected by staff)
SWRCB Expert Review Panel - 2008
- SWRCB OTC Expert Review Panel: Comments from Individual Members after the July 8, 2008 Meeting in Sacramento [compiled by M.Foster]. These comments are not included in the "Responses to Questions" as they were not discussed by the rest of the panel (July 31, 2008)
- Final SWRCB OTC Expert Review Panel Responses to Questions Related to Scoping Document: Water Quality Control Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling, SWRCB/CEPA March 2008 (July 31, 2008)
- Entrainment and Impingement Estimates (Steinbeck, July 2008)
- Summary of Comments on Scoping Document: Water Quality Control Policy on the Use of Coastal and Estuarine Waters for Power Plant Cooling [slides] - By: Michael S. Foster, Project Directory - Moss Landing Marine Labs
- Comments on Scoping Document of April 21, 2008 by Expert Panel Members
- Sarah Abramson - Heal the Bay
- Tim Hemig - NRG Energy, Inc.
- David E. Bailey - Electric Power Research Institute
- John Steinbeck - Tenera Environmental
- Greg Cailliet - Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
- Pete Raimondi - UC Santa Cruz
State Water Board CEQA Scoping Meetings
May 8, 2008 - San Pedro and May 13, 2008 - Sacramento
- Revised Notice
- March 2008 Scoping Document
- Comments - Deadline May 20, 2008 (Noon)
- SWRCB Presentation with Agenda
- Late California Energy Commission Comments to State Water Board
Symposium - January 15-16, 2008
- Agenda, Abstracts and Speaker Bios
- Presentations:
- Life History Parameters of Common Nearshore Marine Fish – Eric Miller and Charles Mitchell (MBC Applied Environmental Sciences)
- Research on Data and Methods for Once-Through Cooling Impact Assessment – Elizabeth Strange (Stratus Consulting)
- Molecular Identification and Enumeration of Invertebrate Larvae Potentially Entrained by Once-Through Cooling in Elkhorn Slough – Jonathan Geller (Moss Landing Marine Labs)
- The Ichthyoplankton of King Harbor, Redondo Beach, California, 1974–2006 – Daniel Pondella (Occidental College, Vantuna Research Group)
- Assessing the Impact of Entrainment along Open Coasts - John Largier (Bodega Marine Lab, University of California Davis)
- The Why, When and How of Assessing Impingement and Entrainment Impacts – John Steinbeck (Tenera Consulting)
- Ecological Issues in Scaling Restoration to Offset Unavoidable Impingement and Entrainment Losses – Elizabeth Strange (Stratus Consulting)
- Bright Vibrating Screens: Increasing the Detectability of Fish Screens – Joe Cech and Timothy Mussen (University of California, Davis)
- Alternative Cooling Systems Analysis: California's Coastal Power Plants – Tim Havey (Tetra Tech Inc.)
- Issues Associated with Retrofitting Coastal Power Plants – John Maulbetsch (Maulbetsch Consulting)
- Electric Reliability Study – Matt Trask
- Using Salt Water in Cooling Towers – John Maulbetsch (Maulbetsch Consulting)
- Implementation of Clean Water Act Section 316(b) – Steve Saiz/Dominic Gregorio (State Water Resources Control Board)
State Water Board CEQA Scoping Meeting on July 31, 2006 in Sacramento
State Water Board Workshop on December 7, 2005 in Oakland
- Notice
- Revised Workshop Agenda
- Meeting Transcripts (Disclaimer: This transcript was made from a tape recording. The State Water Board does not guarantee the accuracy of this transcript.)
- Presentations
- State Water Resources Control Board
- Maulbetch Consulting
- Maulbetch Consulting (Correction)
- California Council for Environmental & Economic Balance
- EPRI Solutions
- Tenera Environmental
- Comments
State Water Board Workshop on September 26, 2005 in Laguna
- Notice of Workshop
- Agenda
- Meeting Transcript
- Presentations:
- California Energy Commission
- Environmental Groups.pdf
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.pdf
- State Water Board Staff
- Tetratech
- Public Comments

Quarterly Reports from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

On September 1, 2020, the State Water Board adopted Resolution No. 2020-0029, in part to address short-term, system-wide grid reliability concerns while 3,300 Megawatts (MW) of procurement associated with CPUC Decision 19-11-016 comes online. Finding 19 of this resolution identified that the state’s energy agencies will provide quarterly reports to the State Water Board providing the status of all associated projects anticipated to be online by August 1, 2021, which comprise half of the 3,300 MW of capacity ordered by Decision 19-11-016. To obtain copies of these quarterly reports, please submit a request to Katherine Walsh or Jonathan Dolan using the contact information listed below.

Questions or Comments about Power Plant Once-Through Cooling Regulation?

Permitting Issues - Renan Jauregui or phone (916) 341-5505
Policy Issues - Katherine Walsh or phone (916) 445-2317, or Jonathan Dolan or phone (916) 323-0880

Ocean Issues – Once-Through Cooling (Page last updated 01/02/2024) Water is a precious resource in California, and maintaining its quality is of utmost importance to safeguard the health of the public and the environment.

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