Water quality certification fee overhaul proposed; flood control districts warn of high dredging costs

Samantha Parker, an environmental scientist with the wetland permitting section, presented a revised fee methodology for water quality certification that would merge current fee categories for fill and low‑impact discharges into a single, five‑tier system. Parker said fee tier placement would be driven by point values assigned for project characteristics such as potential water quality risk, permit type and whether an alternatives analysis is required; draft dollar values in the handout are illustrative and subject to budget review.

‘‘The tier placement is determined by point values based on project characteristics, such as potential water quality risk, and other factors that impact staff workload,’’ Parker said, and walked stakeholders through baseline and major project examples and the proposed annual fee calculation for projects that exceed 1/10 acre.

Flood control districts urged staff to account for beneficial uses and the episodic, maintenance nature of dredging. Heather Meoin of the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District said the proposed per‑acre approach could make long‑running dredge maintenance projects unaffordable — citing an example where the proposed calculation would produce a fee of more than $600,000 for continuation of the Goleta Slough maintenance program — and suggested alternatives such as moving away from strictly per‑acre fees, adding standard program fees for ongoing maintenance, or recognizing beneficial uses in the fee calculation.

Parker acknowledged the concerns, said staff will continue to assess fee maxima and recommended an off‑line discussion to determine whether specific projects better fit existing dredging discharge categories or the fill/excavation category under the proposal. Staff requested written comments through June 26 and said the proposal will return to stakeholders in July.