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D R A F T January 4, 2012 <br /> the "discharge of biosolids from . . . applications areas to . . . surface waters, or to surface <br /> water drainage courses.i51 The general order does not apply to the City's activities. <br /> Nevertheless, the Board concludes that, at a minimum, Order No. R5-2007-0113 should be <br /> revised to require that the management plan address only practices that "prevent," rather than <br /> ,'minimize," biosolids discharges to surface waters. <br /> C. Chronic Toxicity <br /> Issue: CALSPA objects to Order No. R5-2007-0113 on the ground that it fails to <br /> include a numeric effluent limitation for chronic toxicity regulating the discharge of tertiary- <br /> treated wastewater to Dredge Cut. <br /> Discussion: The Board previously addressed this issue in a precedential <br /> decision in Water Quality Order 2008-0008 (City of Davis), adopted on September 2, 2008. In <br /> that order, the Board concluded that a numeric effluent limitation for chronic toxicity was not <br /> appropriate in the permit under review, but that the permit had to include a narrative effluent <br /> limitation for chronic toxicity. In that case, the Central Valley Water Board had determined that <br /> the discharge had the reasonable potential to cause or contribute to an excursion above the <br /> Basin Plan's narrative toxicity objective. The Central Valley Water Board reached the same <br /> determination on the City's discharge. Therefore, on remand, the Central Valley Water Board <br /> must amend Order No. R5-2007-0113 to add an appropriate narrative chronic toxicity limitation. <br /> III. CONCLUSIONS <br /> Based on the above discussion, the Board concludes that: <br /> 1. The appropriate exemption for the Central Valley Water Board to apply to <br /> the wastewater mixture applied by the City to land is subsection (b) of section 20090 of the <br /> Title 27 regulations; <br /> 2. Order No. R5-2007-0113 does not contain findings supporting the <br /> conclusion that the City's land disposal activities qualify for an exemption under Title 27; <br /> 3. The monitoring that has been conducted, to date, is inadequate to <br /> demonstrate that the City complies with the precondition for an exemption under Title 27 that <br /> the discharge comply with the Basin Plan; <br /> 4. Evidence in the record appears to indicate that releases of wastewater from <br /> the City's unlined storage ponds have caused the underlying groundwater to contain nitrate and <br /> 51 State Water Board Order No. 2004-0012-DWQ, Prohibition A.6. <br /> 22. <br />