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San Diego board’s proposed stream biological objective prompts implementation debate at State Water Board workshop
Summary
Regional board’s proposal to add a 0.79 CSCI biological objective to its basin plan drew support from environmental groups and concern from flood-control agencies about how the rule would apply to modified, soft-bottom flood channels and to emergency maintenance.
SACRAMENTO — A State Water Resources Control Board workshop on May 6 focused on a contested basin-plan amendment from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board that would make the California Stream Condition Index (CSCI) a numeric biological objective (proposed threshold 0.79) for seasonal and perennial streams in Region 9.
Supporters, including San Diego Coastkeeper and other advocacy groups, urged the state board to approve the amendment as a long-overdue step toward measuring the biological integrity of streams directly rather than relying solely on chemical indicators. The CSCI measures benthic macroinvertebrate communities (aquatic insects, snails and other small organisms) and has been developed and peer-reviewed for…
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