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D R A F T January 4, 2012 exempt under section 20090(a), the sewage exemption.17 The Central Valley Water Board now contends that the storage ponds discharges are unconditionally exempt from Title 27 because they are covered under the "sewage treatment plant" exemption in Water Code section 13172. In addition, the Central Valley Water Board contends that the City's land application to the agricultural fields falls under the reuse exemption in section 20090(h). For the reasons explained below, we conclude that the wastewater exemption in section 20090(b), rather than the sewage or reuse exemptions, is the most appropriate exemption to consider applying to Lodi's land disposal activities. Water Code section 13172 required the State Water Board to adopt uniform requirements for the siting, operation, and closure of waste disposal sites, "except for sewage treatment plants." These requirements are contained in the Title 27 regulations, which specifically exempt sewage treatment plants from coverage. The sewage treatment plant exemption is included in the Title 27 sewage exemption, which covers both (1) discharges of domestic sewage and treated effluent and (2) treatment or storage facilities associated with municipal wastewater treatment plants.18 The second category implements the sewage treatment plant exemption and has no preconditions. The first was added at the request of dischargers, and is subject to preconditions. The principal precondition is that the discharge must be in compliance with the applicable basin plan. The State Water Board added the first category because the discharge of"effluent from treatment facilities is controlled under the [NPDES] permit system, or under waste discharge requirements which implement basin plan water quality objectives.i19 The category covers post-treatment activities, i.e. discharges from outfalls, percolation ponds, and spray fields, and it "explicitly requires discharges to be consistent with water quality control plan objectives for receiving waters.,20 The State Water Board intended to include within the sewage treatment plant exemption treatment and storage facilities "associated with municipal wastewater treatment."21 This exemption includes both treatment and storage facilities Post-treatment storage facilities are "associated with" municipal wastewater treatment plants for purposes of the second category of the sewage exemption if the facilities (1) are used to store treated municipal wastewater prior to 17 Order No. R5-2007-0113, attach. F at F-56. 1e See p. 6, ante. 19 Statement of Reasons for Subchapter 15 (SOR), p. 1.5. 20 Id. at 1.40. 21 Ibid. 8.