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WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS ORDER NO. • 11- MUSCO FAMILY OLIVE COMPANY AND THE STUDLEY COMPANY WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY 54. According to Pollution Abatement in the Fruit and Vegetable Industry, published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA Publication No. 625/3-77-0007) (hereafter Pollution Abatement), in applying food-processing wastewater to land for biological treatment, the loading of BODS should not exceed 100 lbs/acre-day(average) to prevent development of nuisance odor conditions. 55. Acidic soil conditions can be detrimental to land treatment system function, and may also cause groundwater degradation. If the buffering capacity of the soil is exceeded and soil pH decreases below 5, naturally occurring metals (including iron and manganese) may dissolve and degrade underlying groundwater. Pollution Abatement recommends that water applied to crops have a pH within 6.4 to 8.4 to protect crops from damage by food processing wastewater. Near neutral pH is also required to maintain adequate active microbial populations in the soil. BASIN PLAN, BENEFICIAL USES, AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS 56. The Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins, Fourth Edition (hereafter Basin Plan) designates beneficial uses, establishes water quality objectives, contains implementation plans and policies for protecting waters of the basin, and incorporates by reference plans and policies adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board. Pursuant to Section 13263(a) of the California Water Code,waste discharge requirements must implement the Basin Plan. 57. The Regional Board's Basin Plan establishes the beneficial uses of the waters of the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. These beneficial uses are municipal and domestic supply, irrigation, stock watering, industrial process and service supply, contact recreation, other non-contact recreation, warm and cold freshwater habitat,warm and cold migration, warn water spawning, and navigation. 58. The beneficial uses of underlying groundwater are domestic and municipal supply, agricultural supply, industrial service supply, and industrial process supply. 59. The Basin Plan establishes numeric and narrative water quality objectives for surface and groundwater within the basin. Numeric water quality objectives are limits already quantified. Narrative water quality objectives are unquantified limits expressing the level of protection for beneficial uses from specific constituents and categories of constituents. Objectives for chemical constituents in, and toxicity and tastes and odors of, groundwater take both forms. The toxicity objective requires that groundwater be maintained free of toxic substances in concentrations that produce detrimental physiological responses in humans,plants, or animals. The chemical constituent objective states groundwater shall not contain chemical constituents in concentrations that adversely affect any beneficial use. 60. The Basin Plan-sets forth a procedure for translating narrative water quality objectives into numeric water quality objectives, directing that relevant numeric criteria and guidelines developed and published by other agencies and organizations and any other relevant information be considered.