USE ATTAINABILITY ANALYSIS FOR pH AND TURBIDITY FOR THE CENTRAL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley (Central Valley) of California is one of the most fertile and productive agricultural areas regions in the world. It also presents a wide range of discharge conditions for Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). Specifically, a number of POTWs located in the Central Valley are faced with discharging into ephemeral, intermittent, or low-flow streams. These effluent dominated discharge conditions create a host of unique challenges for POTWs. For example, due to the lack of dilution, water quality objectives are typically applied at the “end-of-pipe,” and receiving water requirements are difficult to meet. The challenges are currently being addressed throughout the industry (Arid West Water Quality Research Project.)