Regional Board Boundary Features

The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board)
and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Water
Boards), collectively known as the California Water Boards (Water
Boards), are dedicated to a single vision: abundant clean water for
human uses and environmental protection to sustain California’s future.
Under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and the state’s pioneering
Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the State and Regional Water
Boards have regulatory responsibility for protecting the water quality
of nearly 1.6 million acres of lakes, 1.3 million acres of bays and
estuaries, 211,000 miles of rivers and streams, and about 1,100 miles of
California coastline.<div><br /></div><div>The State Water Board is
located in Sacramento. There are nine Regional Water Boards, the
boundaries of which are generally based on watersheds, also known as
hydrologic areas. The nine Regional Water Boards are referred to by
specific names, which are: (1) North Coast, (2) San Francisco Bay, (3)
Central Coast, (4) Los Angeles, (5) Central Valley, (6) Lahontan, (7)
Colorado River Basin, (8) Santa Ana, and (9) San Diego. Due to their
size, and/or geographic spread, the Central Valley Board has three
offices and the Lahontan Board has two offices. In addition, the
Drinking Water Program has fourteen District offices spread throughout
the state.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This map service shows the
jurisdictional boundaries of the nine Regional Water Boards and the
locations of their administrative offices. The official legal
definitions of Regional Water Quality Control Board jurisdictions may be
found in the <a href='https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=WAT&amp;division=7.&amp;title=&amp;part=&amp;chapter=4.&amp;article=1.' target='_blank'>Section 13200 of the California Water Code</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>For more information, please visit the California Water Boards website at <a href='https://www.waterboards.ca.gov' target='_blank'>https://www.waterboards.ca.gov</a>.</div>