Report 2017-118 Recommendation 2 Responses

Report 2017-118: State and Regional Water Boards: They Must Do More to Ensure That Local Jurisdictions' Costs to Reduce Storm Water Pollution Are Necessary and Appropriate (Release Date: March 2018)

Recommendation #2 To: Water Resources Control Board

The State Water Board should develop guidance by August 2018 for regional boards to document estimates of the costs local jurisdictions will incur in order to comply with pollutant control plans. These procedures should also address the need to use appropriate methods to develop those estimates, to document the sources they use to develop the estimates, and to document consideration of the overall cost of storm water management to local jurisdictions when completing an economic analysis as part of developing pollutant control plans. Additionally, the documentation of cost estimates should include, where applicable, the impact other pollutant control plans will have on the costs local jurisdictions are expected to incur.

1-Year Agency Response

A staff working group developed internal guidance for staff to document cost estimates, use appropriate methods, document sources, and consider the overall costs of storm water management to local jurisdictions and impacts other plans may have on the costs local jurisdictions are expected to incur. This guidance will be distributed internally, and will be updated as needed, based on staff experience in applying it.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

We have collected resources to build on in developing this guidance and have assembled a working group to develop this guidance. The group currently includes over 10 senior and experienced people from State and Regional Water Board units. The group has drafted initial guidance and is refining it. The next planned step is to seek feedback from external stakeholders involved in compliance with pollutant control plans.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

Although the State Water Board indicates that it has drafted initial guidance regarding the costs incurred by local jurisdictions, our recommendation specified a completion date of August 2018 to prioritize the State's efforts to make informed decisions regarding these costs. We anticipate that the State Water Board will be able to formalize its guidance by the date of its one-year response to the audit recommendations.

60-Day Agency Response

We have collected resources to build on in developing this guidance and have assembled a working group to develop this guidance. The group currently includes over 10 senior and experienced people from State and Regional Water Board units. The group is currently developing a timeline to develop the guidance.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2017-118

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.