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Clean Water Act California

The Clean Water Act is a United States federal statute enacted in 1972 to reduce levels of toxic substances in the nation's water supply and to prevent high levels of new contamination.  The CWA seeks to... more +
The Clean Water Act is a United States federal statute enacted in 1972 to reduce levels of toxic substances in the nation's water supply and to prevent high levels of new contamination.  The CWA seeks to accomplish its stated goals by preventing point and nonpoint pollution sources, assisting wastewater treatment facilities and maintaining wetlands. less -
Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Citizen Suit Action/Clean Water Act: Two California Municipalities' Motion Alleges Spoilation of Laboratory Data by Environmental...

The Towns of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, California (collectively, “Cities”) filed a January 17th Pleading against San Francisco Baykeeper (“Baykeeper”) styled: Defendants’ Motion for Sanctions for Spoilation of...more

Allen Matkins

Beyond Sackett: California’s Expanding Role in Wetlands Permitting and the Future of “Waters of the State”

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California’s regulatory authority over “waters of the state” continues to grow even as the federal definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) narrows under shifting legal and regulatory frameworks. In Sackett v. EPA...more

Allen Matkins

Citizen Suit Enforcement Under the Industrial General Permit: How Businesses Can Avoid Substantial Costs Associated with Notice...

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Each year, many California businesses receive letters from private entities, typically environmental nongovernmental organizations (Citizen Groups), alleging that those businesses’ facilities are in violation of applicable...more

Nossaman LLP

The AI Thirst Trap

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the water industry. The need for massive amounts of water to cool AI data systems could exacerbate already strained water resources in the U.S. and worldwide. To...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 6.6.25

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On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court held that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — which requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental impacts of projects that they perform, fund, or approve — does not...more

Nossaman LLP

The End of “End-Result” Permit Limitations in Clean Water Act Permits

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On March 4, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case City and County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency, in which it held that “end-result” requirements routinely imposed by the U.S....more

Nossaman LLP

California Water Views – 2025 Outlook

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Water is simple. Water issues are complex. To provide more clarity, we asked our attorneys who are committed to the water sector to identify the pivotal issues they’re watching now and for the year ahead. Their perspectives...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Citizen Suits and Larger Penalties May Be the Future of California Water Quality Protections

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The California legislature continues to advance Senate Bill 601 (SB 601), the “Right to Clean Water Act,” which aims to safeguard protections for California’s streams and wetlands that lost federal protection under the Clean...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 4.18.25

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The Trump administration is moving to effectively eliminate a crucial protection in the half-century-old federal Endangered Species Act by redefining a single word: harm. A proposed rule, issued this Wednesday from the U.S....more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 3.21.25

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to terminate lease contracts at nearly two dozen California offices relating to science, agriculture, and the environment, according to its federal...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 3.14.25

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this Wednesday that it will narrow the definition of waters that can be federally regulated to comply with the Supreme Court's 2023 Sackett v. EPA ruling. This...more

Jones Day

U.S. Supreme Court Limits EPA Clean Water Act Permitting Authority

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On March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in City & County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency and clarified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ("EPA") and state...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Supreme Court Strikes Down ​“End-Result” Requirements in NPDES Permits

On March 4, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that prohibits the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA” or ​“the Agency”) from setting qualitative limits based on the condition of the ​“receiving waters” that...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 3.7.25

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On Tuesday, in a 5-4 opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alioto, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a pivotal ruling that the Clean Water Act (CWA) provisions authorizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose...more

Allen Matkins

Supreme Court Says EPA has no Authority to Impose “End-Result” Requirements in Clean Water Act Permits

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On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in City and County of San Francisco, California v. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. No. 23-753 in which the City and County of San Francisco (San Francisco)...more

Jackson Walker

U.S. Supreme Court Limits EPA’s Wastewater Permitting Authority in Major Clean Water Act Decision

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On March 4, 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in City and County of San Francisco v. Environmental Protection Agency[i], which restricted the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”)...more

Jenner & Block

Client Alert: US Supreme Court Rules Against EPA in Clean Water Act Permitting Dispute

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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the City and County of San Francisco in a case against the US Environmental Protection Agency involving the scope of the Clean Water Act. See City & Cty. of San Francisco v. Environmental...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Generic Prohibitions/NPDES Permits/Water Quality Standards: United States Supreme Court Decides City/County of San Francisco v....

The Supreme Court of the United States (“Court”) issued an Opinion on March 4th in the case styled: City and County of San Francisco, California v. Environmental Protection Agency. See No. 23-753....more

Tonkon Torp LLP

U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Will Make it Easier to Comply with NPDES Permits

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On March 4, 2025 the Supreme Court overturned the 9th Circuit to rule in favor of the City of San Francisco in a landmark Clean Water Act case. The EPA authorizes states to issue National Pollutant Discharge Elimination...more

Greenberg Glusker LLP

When Wildfire Toxins Contaminate Stormwater: Essential IGP Compliance Steps

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On February 14, 2025, the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) issued a compliance guidance letter for industrial facilities subject to the Statewide Industrial Stormwater General Permit (IGP)...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 2.7.25

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Newly-appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memo this Wednesday that the Justice Department will reverse a Biden-era directive to prioritize enforcement of environmental laws in disadvantaged and low-income...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update - Special Water Supply Edition

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President Donald Trump on Monday issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior to develop a new plan within 90 days “to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to...more

Allen Matkins

California Environmental Law & Policy Update 11.22.24

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In a settlement approved by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board on November 13, the City of Oceanside agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine for two separate spills that sent raw sewage into the Buena Vista Creek...more

Allen Matkins

California's Construction General Permit and Industrial General Permit – 2024/2025 Annual Update

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Regional Boards’ enforcement of the Construction General Permit (CGP) and Industrial General Permit (IGP) continues to yield high penalty figures; transition to 2022 CGP brings new requirements; and the forthcoming...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Citizen Suit Enforcement/Clean Water Act: Environment California Files Judicial Action Against Port of Los Angeles

Environment California (“EC”) filed a July 23rd United States District Court (Central District of California) Clean Water Act citizen suit action against the Port of Los Angeles (“Port”) for alleged violations. See case No....more

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