Clean water is a cornerstone of California¿s economic and environmental well-being. As the state¿s lead water quality guardians, the State Water Resources Control Board and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards play a critical role in the state¿s health. Their job is to protect and improve the state¿s aquifers, rivers, lakes and shoreline. However, the boards today must rely on regulatory tools that are not adequate to address modern threats to water quality, resulting in a system that has lost the confidence of the population. The Calif. gov. and legis. must reform the current system into one that assures transparency, consistency and accountability. The report includes recommend. for strengthening ties and solving problems. Graphs and charts.

The Water Quality Act of 1987 ushered in a new era of clean water policy to the US. The Act stands today as the longest-lived example of national water quality policy. It included a then-revolutionary funding model for wastewater infrastructure - the Clean Water State Revolving Fund - which gave states much greater authority to allocate clean water infrastructure resources. Significant differences between states exist in terms of their ability to provide adequate resources for the program, as well as their ability (or willingness) to meet the wishes of Congress to serve environmental needs and communities. This book examines the patterns of state program resource distribution using case studies and analysis of state and national program data. This book is important for researchers from a range of disciplines, including water, environmental and infrastructure policy, federalism/intergovernmental relations, intergovernmental administration, and natural resource management, as well as policy makers and policy advocates.