Office of Enforcement reports $37 million in 2024 liabilities, expands sanitary‑sewer inspections focused on overburdened communities

Yvonne West, director of the State Water Resources Control Board’s Office of Enforcement, told the board on Feb. 4 that statewide enforcement activity in 2024 resulted in about $37 million in assessed liability through settlements, administrative civil liability orders and other mechanisms, and highlighted a growing emphasis on environmental justice (EJ)‑focused enforcement work.

West said regional boards and state offices conducted more than 5,000 water quality inspections and issued over 3,000 enforcement actions in 2024, including 165 administrative civil liability orders totaling roughly $19 million, of which about $9 million was directed to supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) in impacted communities. She described training events and staff development that addressed emerging issues, including the U.S. Supreme Court Sackett decision and its implications for jurisdictional waters.

West described several program highlights. In water rights enforcement, the Division of Water Rights issued information orders and cease‑and‑desist and civil liability orders to collect diversion and use data and address unauthorized…