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STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD -9- ORDER 9- ORDER WQ 2014-0153-DWQ GENERAL WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL DOMESTIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS a. Higher quality water will be maintained until it has been demonstrated to the state that any change will be consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state, will not unreasonably affect present and anticipated beneficial use of the water, and will not result in water quality less than that prescribed in the policies. b. Any activity that produces a waste and discharges to existing high quality waters will be required to meet WDRs that will result in the Best Practicable Treatment or Control (BPTC) of the discharge necessary to assure pollution or nuisance will not occur, and the highest water quality consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state will be maintained. 25. The Antidegradation Policy requires maintenance of high quality of waters of the state unless limited degradation is consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state. When issuing NOAs under this General Order, Executive Officers must assure that Dischargers implement BPTC as necessary to maintain the highest water quality consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state. 26. This General Order allows discharges to numerous groundwater bodies, each with its own chemical characteristics. There are not sufficient data to determine which receiving waters are high quality waters. To the extent a discharge covered under this General Order may be to high quality waters, this General Order authorizes limited degradation consistent with the Antidegradation Policy as described in the findings below. 27. This General Order limits a discharge flow rate to 100,000 gpd; therefore, only small Dischargers will be eligible for coverage. Wastewater systems with a flow rate greater than 20,000 gpd must evaluate the discharge with the method presented in Attachment 1 to determine if nitrogen effluent limits are appropriate. Discharge of domestic wastewater at lower flow rates inherently has less potential to significantly degrade water quality. 28. Limited degradation of groundwater by some waste constituents associated with domestic wastewater effluent, after effective source control, treatment, and control measures are implemented, is consistent with the maximum benefit to the people of the state. The technology, energy, water recycling, and waste management advantages of centralized wastewater treatment systems far exceed any benefits derived from reliance on numerous, concentrated individual wastewater systems, and the cumulative impact on water quality will be substantially less. The economic prosperity of communities and associated industry is of maximum benefit to the people of the state and provides sufficient justification for allowing the limited groundwater degradation that may occur pursuant to this General Order provided the terms of the applicable Basin Plan, and other applicable State Water Board and Regional Water Board policies are consistently met. The State Water Board recognizes variability in a small community's ability to construct wastewater treatment systems based on financial resources. 29. Constituents of concern that have the potential to degrade groundwater include salinity, nutrients, and pathogens (represented by coliform bacteria). In addition, excessive BOD loading of ponds or LAAs may result in nuisance odors or anaerobic September 23, 2014