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State Water Resources Control Board outlines fee-setting budget and five new BCPs, cites $2M net decrease
Summary
Board staff presented a FY25–26 fee‑setting budget just under $196.9 million and five new budget change proposals (border unit, CalEPA admin, landfill response, Sackett permitting impacts, recycled water/SB31), and said detailed program impacts will be provided at June stakeholder meetings.
State Water Resources Control Board staff presented an overview of the agency’s fee‑setting budget and five proposed budget change proposals (BCPs) and told stakeholders that detailed, program‑level impacts will be provided once May/June fund‑condition data are final.
Tracy (fee and revenue branch) said the fee‑setting budget for fiscal 2025–26 is just under $196,900,000 and that the governor’s January proposed fee‑setting budget for 2026–27 is just under $195,000,000, a net decrease of nearly $2,000,000, or about 1 percent. Cassandra White, fee and revenue branch manager, led the meeting and introduced the BCPs and program descriptions.
The five new BCPs described are: a Border Water Quality Protection Unit (about $1 million, four permanent positions at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board to address cross‑border pollution near the Tijuana River); a CalEPA consolidated administration package (about $2.6 million, 14 positions, split across multiple water board funds with the WDPF portion roughly $1.6 million); a Landfill Support Response and Enforcement package (WDPF portion ~$463,000 to support two positions and associated contracts); funding to address permitting impacts from the U.S. Supreme Court Sackett decision (about $2.6 million to support 12 permit positions across programs); and recycled water program implementation tied to Senate Bill 31 (roughly $1 million and additional limited‑term positions to develop updated regulations).
Staff also previewed other agenda items: proposed clarifying language for NPDES general permit fee schedule categories 1 and 2 to ensure consistent interpretation of pollutant categories, and an evaluation by the cannabis program of its fee structure that could be presented in June. White said the additional detail on program‑level impacts and exact fee consequences will be provided after the May revise and at the June stakeholder meeting.
Stakeholders asked for program‑level breakdowns and transparency documentation; staff agreed to post the program‑by‑program impact data in advance of the June meeting. The board has scheduled follow‑up stakeholder meetings, including a water quality certification meeting near April 22 and the general June stakeholder meeting when final revenue and expenditure data will be available.
Next steps: staff will post program‑level impact analyses and present updated fund‑condition information at the June stakeholder meeting; no formal fee changes were adopted at this session.
