National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) - Wastewater
DO I NEED AN NPDES PERMIT?
If you discharge pollutants from a point source to a water of the United States you need an NPDES permit.
As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the NPDES Permit Program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Examples of pollutants include, but are not limited to, rock, sand, dirt, and agricultural, industrial, and municipal waste discharged into waters of the United States. See section 122.2 of 40 Code of Federal Regulations for the definitions of point source, pollutant, and water of the United States.
The NPDES Program is a federal program which has been delegated to the State of California for implementation through the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Water Boards), collectively Water Boards. In California, NPDES permits are also referred to as waste discharge requirements (WDRs) that regulate discharges to waters of the United States.
Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES Program has been responsible for significant improvements to our nation's and state’s water quality.
QUICK LINKS
* Where Do I Discharge / Where Should I Get My Permit?
* Regional Board Contacts
* Program Information:
Programs & Policies | Permit Types & Fees | Databases & Reports | Roles & Contact Information
* Regional Water Board NPDES Program Managers
* The Role of the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards
* Fees
* Email Subscription Information
* Contacts at the State Water Board
WHERE DO I DISCHARGE?
WHERE SHOULD I GET MY PERMIT?
The map below shows the nine Regional Water Board boundaries which are based on watersheds. Using the map, determine where your discharge will occur and contact the appropriate Regional Water Board NPDES Program Manager for that region. The contact information for the Regional Water Board NPDES Program Managers is shown in the table below.
~ click map to enlarge ~
Regional Water Board NPDES Program Managers
| RB | Contact | Phone Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Reed, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Charles.Reed@waterboards.ca.gov | (707) 576-2752 | |
| Mona Dougherty, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Mona.Dougherty@waterboards.ca.gov | (707) 445-6129 | |
| 2 | Bill Johnson, Environmental Program Manager | |
| Bill.Johnson@waterboards.ca.gov | (510) 622-2354 | |
| Aidan Cecchetti, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Individual NPDES Permitting | ||
| Aidan.Cecchetti@waterboards.ca.gov | (510) 620-3457 | |
| James Parrish, Senior Environmental Scientist | ||
| General NPDES Permitting | ||
| James.Parrish@waterboards.ca.gov | (510) 622-2381 | |
| 3 | Tamara Anderson, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Tamara.Anderson@waterboards.ca.gov | (805) 549-3334 | |
| Arwen Wyatt-Mair, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Arwen.WyattMair@waterboards.ca.gov | (805) 542-4695 | |
| 4 | Jeong-Hee Lim, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Jeong-Hee.Lim@waterboards.ca.gov | (213) 576-6616 | |
| Steven Webb, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Municipal NPDES Permitting | ||
| Steven.Webb@waterboards.ca.gov | (213) 576-6793 | |
| Bronwyn Kelly, Senior Environmental Scientist | ||
| Industrial NPDES Permitting | ||
| Bronwyn.Kelly@waterboards.ca.gov | (213) 576-6750 | |
| 5 | Anne Walters, Environmental Program Manager | |
| Anne.Walters@waterboards.ca.gov | (916) 464-4840 | |
| Joshua Palmer, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Sacramento NPDES Permitting | ||
| Joshua.Palmer@waterboards.ca.gov | (916) 464-4674 | |
| Matt Scroggins, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Fresno NPDES Permitting | ||
| Matt.Scroggins@waterboards.ca.gov | (559) 445-6042 | |
| Stacy Gotham, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Redding NPDES Permitting | ||
| Stacy.Gotham@waterboards.ca.gov | (530) 224-4993 | |
| 6 | TJ Middlemis-Clark, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Timothy.Middlemis-Clark@waterboards.ca.gov | (530) 542-5463 | |
| Trevor Miller, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Trevor.Miller@waterboards.ca.gov | (530) 542-5430 | |
| 7 | Kai Dunn, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Kai.Dunn@waterboards.ca.gov | (760) 776-8986 | |
| Logan Raub, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Logan.Raub@waterboards.ca.gov | (760) 776-8966 | |
| 8 | Nick Amini, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Nick.Amini@waterboards.ca.gov | (951) 782-7958 | |
| Julio Lara, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Julio.Lara@waterboards.ca.gov | (951) 782-4901 | |
| 9 | Laurie Walsh, Supervising Water Resource Control Engineer | |
| Laurie.Walsh@waterboards.ca.gov | (619) 521-3373 | |
| Melissa Corona, Senior Water Resource Control Engineer | ||
| Melissa.Corona@waterboards.ca.gov | (619) 521-8039 | |
| ### Programs & Policies | ||
| * Discharge Specific Programs | ||
| * Drinking Water System Discharges Permit | ||
| * Natural Gas Permit | ||
| * Once Through Cooling Program | ||
| * Pesticides Permit | ||
| * Pretreatment Program | ||
| * Stormwater Program | ||
| * Suction Dredge Mining Permit | ||
| * Utility Vaults & Underground Structures Permit | ||
| * Vessel Discharges Permit |
Permit Types & Fees
- Individual Permits (Processes for applying, renewing, modifying, rescinding)
- General Permits (See specific permit for processes on applying, transferring ownership, terminating, etc)
- Permit Fees | Check your Annual Fee Invoice Status
- Useful Links
Databases & Reports
- CIWQS Database - California Integrated Water Quality System
- Monitoring & Reporting:
- Reports
- Public Reports
- Search for Enrollees under General Permits (search by order number, Example: 2011-0003-DWQ)
- Search for NPDES Facilities and Permits
Roles & Contact information
- Role of State and Regional Water Boards
- Regional Water Board Contacts
- Websites, Contacts, and Mailing Addresses
(Click on the Water Board Map for Regional Water Board addresses and website links)
- Websites, Contacts, and Mailing Addresses
- State Water Board Contacts
- Mailing Address:
State Water Resources Control Board
Division of Water Quality
NPDES Wastewater Unit, 15th Floor
P.O. Box 100
Sacramento, CA 95812-0100 - Street Address:
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
- Mailing Address:
The Role of the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards
It is the responsibility of the Water Boards to preserve and enhance the quality of the state's waters through the development of water quality control plans and the issuance of (WDRs. WDRs for discharges to waters of the United States also serve as NPDES permits. The State Water Board establishes statewide plans, policies, and regulations that help protect and restore the water quality in California. The State Water Board also oversees the implementation of the NPDES Program throughout the state. As such, it coordinates with and supports Regional Water Board efforts, and reviews Regional Water Board actions. While the State Water Board has issued some NPDES permits, the Regional Water Boards issue the vast majority of NPDES permits in the state. Therefore, they ensure compliance with their permits through compliance inspections, monitoring report reviews, and enforce actions, if necessary. Each Regional Water Board makes critical water quality decisions for its region.
Fees
NPDES Permit Fees
* For NPDES Permit Fee information please check this Fee Schedule link and see the corresponding section for each type of NPDES permit.
Please Note : The California Water Code requires the State Water Board to adjust the fees each fiscal year to conform with the revenue levels set forth in the California Budget Act. Thus, the fees could change every year.
Fee Regulations email list (under "General Interests" and receive periodic updates).
Receive notifications, updates and other correspondence by email. Subscribe online to our electronic mailing lists:
* Statewide Issues (under State Water Resources Control Board, Water Quality Topics)
Electronic Mailing Lists that may be of interest to NPDES Dischargers are:
* Discharge Monitoring Reports [(DMR) List]
* Electronic Self Monitoring Reports [(eSMR) List]
* Fee Regulations (Water Quality List)
* Pesticides (Water Quality List)
* Utility Vaults (Water Quality List)
* Region-Specific Issues Lists (under California Regional Water Quality Control Boards)
State Water Boards Contacts
For Questions or Comments, send an email to:
* CIWQS
CIWQS Help Center
ciwqs@waterboards.ca.gov
* Pesticide Permits
PesticidesNPDES@Waterboards.ca.gov
* Pretreatment
DWQ-CAPreTreatment@Waterboards.ca.gov
* NPDES Utility Vaults Permit
UtilityVaultsNPDES@waterboards.ca.gov
* USEPA's Vessel Discharges General Permit
Calvgp_cert@waterboards.ca.gov
* NPDES Wastewater Permitting General Inquiries
NPDES_wastewater@waterboards.ca.gov
* NPDES Stormwater General Inquiries
stormwater@waterboards.ca.gov
* Sanitary Sewer Systems General Order
SanitarySewer@waterboards.ca.gov
* Discharge Monitoring Reports (US EPA Requirement)
DMR@waterboards.ca.gov
* NPDES Natural Gas Utility Discharge Permit
NaturalGasNPDES@waterboards.ca.gov
* NPDES Drinking Water Systems Discharge Permit
DrinkingwaterNPDES@waterboards.ca.gov
* Draft NPDES Suction Dredge Mining PermitsuctiondredgeminingNPDES@waterboards.ca.gov
(Page last updated 10/17/25)
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Water is a precious resource in California, and maintaining its quality is of utmost importance to safeguard the health of the public and the environment.
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