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• • _7 - <br /> STAFF REPORT <br /> ADMINISTRATIVE CIVIL LIABILITY ORDER AND <br /> REVISION TO THE CWC WATER CODE SECTION 13308 TIME SCHEDULE ORDER <br /> MUSCO OLIVE PRODUCTS AND THE STUDLEY COMPANY <br /> SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY <br /> the original stream channel into these constructed wetlands areas to serve as a source of <br /> seeds for wetlands plant species. <br /> Planting a one-half-acre area of Riparian habitat below the outfall apron of the realigned <br /> stream channel where it discharges into the original channel downstream of the new 114 <br /> million gallon storage pond dam. The Discharger proposes to plant 1,250 shoots of willow <br /> and/or cottonwood and to irrigate the seedlings as needed for a period of two years. <br /> The SEP Plan includes success criteria and monitoring for three to five years, depending on <br /> satisfaction of the success criteria. <br /> Staff have reviewed the Discharger's SEP proposal and determined that it does not comply with the <br /> State Water Resources Control Board's Draft Water Quality Enforcement Policy for SEPs as follows: <br /> 1. The proposed SEP does not"go above and beyond the obligation of the Discharger" because <br /> the proposed measures will primarily function as storm water Best Management Practices <br /> (BMPs)to prevent erosion and siltation that would otherwise result from construction of the <br /> new stream channel. As such, they are essentially mitigation measures that should be included <br /> in the project's CEQA document and the Discharger's Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. <br /> The proposed SEP does not"directly benefit or study groundwater or surface water quality or <br /> quantity, and the beneficial uses of the waters of the State". <br /> 2. The proposed SEP appears to be ". . . an action. . . that is otherwise required of the Discharger <br /> by any rule or regulation of any entity". The California Department of Fish and Game, in <br /> issuing Streambed Alteration Agreement Notification No. R2-2001-523 for the storage pond <br /> project on 9 April 2002 required that: "Precautions to minimize turbidity/siltation shall be taken <br /> into account during project planning and implementation. This may require the placement of <br /> silt fencing, straw bale dikes, or other siltation barriers so that silt and/or other deleterious <br /> materials are not allowed to pass to downstream reaches.... The sediment barriers shall be <br /> maintained in good operating condition throughout the construction period and during the <br /> following rainy season". <br /> 3. The San Joaquin District Attorney has filed suit against the Discharger for discharges of <br /> wastewater to the ephemeral stream. The proposed SEP is inappropriate because the case has <br /> not yet been resolved and some sort of environmental mitigation may be required. As stated <br /> above, an SEP may not be approved for an action that is otherwise required. <br /> Staff's assessment of the cost of the proposed SEP finds that the cost of the project may have been <br /> overestimated by an amount up to $30,000. In addition, during a meeting on 30 April 2002, staff <br /> indicated to the Discharger that an SEP appeared inappropriate in the settlement of this case. Staff are <br /> already spending an inordinate amount of time in overseeing Musco's compliance with its TSO, <br /> reviewing the request for an increase in the flow limit contained in the TSO, reviewing the RWD, and if <br /> it is complete, preparing tentative WDRs for the September Regional Board meeting. Staff simply do <br /> not have the time to negotiate an appropriate SEP, determine clear milestones, a budget, and final <br />