Regulation of Composting Operations

The State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Water Boards) are required to protect the quality and beneficial uses of the waters of the state. The California Water Code requires that anyone who discharges waste that could affect waters of the state must submit a report of waste discharge. Current practice is to issue individual waste discharge requirements (WDRs) for larger composting facilities. A conditional waiver for “green waste-only” composting facilities was in effect from 1994 until 2003, when a change in law required all waivers to be either renewed or replaced with WDRs. The State Water Board developed draft statewide general WDRs that will address water quality protection at composting facilities that currently exist or may be constructed.

Current Activities

The State Water Resources Control Board released for public comment the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations (General Order). The comment period for both documents ended on March 2, 2015. A public workshop was held on February 13, 2015. A Board Workshop was held on June 16, 2015 in the Cal/EPA Headquarters Building. Several informal, focused stakeholder meetings were held prior to and following the Board Workshop. The State Water Board certified the EIR and adopted the General Order on August 4, 2015.

Stakeholder Meetings - Development of Performance Measures for Implementation of the Compost General Order

State Water Board staff will host informal stakeholder meetings to develop performance measures related to the implementation of the Compost General Order.

• Sacramento, California:
• Date and Time: Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Place: CalEPA Building, Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd floor, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814
• Agenda
• Presentation
• Riverside, California:
• Date and Time: Thursday, June 23, 2016, 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• California Tower Building, Highgrove Room, 3737 Main Street, Suite 500, Riverside, CA 92501-3348
• Agenda
• Presentation
• Sacramento, California:
• Date and Time: Monday, August 15, 2016, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Place: CalEPA Building, Klamath Training Room, 2nd floor, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814
• Agenda
• Corrected Agenda
• Presentation
• Handout

Joint State Water Board and CalRecycle Stakeholder Meetings – Land Application of Compostable Materials

State Water Board staff and Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) staff will jointly host education and outreach meetings regarding land application of compostable materials. All attendees are required to register with CalRecycle at 2016 Land Application Meeting.

• Sacramento, California:
• Date and Time: Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Place: CalEPA Building, Byron Sher Auditorium, 2nd floor 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814
• Agenda
• Riverside, California:
• Date and Time: Thursday, June 23, 2016, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Place: California Tower Building, Highgrove Room, 3737 Main Street, Suite 500, Riverside, CA 92501-3348
• Agenda

Land Application of Uncomposted Organic Materials in California: General Information

  Receive updates by email. Subscribe to the “Composting Operations” email list.

Current Documents

• General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations (Order WQ 2015-0121-DWQ)
• Composting General Order Requirements Matrix, August 4, 2015
• Resolution No. 2015-0054
• Environmental Impact Report (including Appendices A-L)
• Notice of Determination
• Response to Comments

General Order Enrollees

The table below is continuously updated as additional operations become fully enrolled.

Questions?

• Please send an email to Composting@waterboards.ca.gov
• Contact your Regional Water Board

Ex Parte Disclosure Requirements

This item is subject to the ex parte communication disclosure requirements of Water Code section 13287, as explained in http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/laws_regulations/docs/exparte.pdf. Any communications between interested persons and board members (other than at a noticed board meeting or submitted as a comment letter in compliance with the public notice) must be disclosed by the interested person within seven days of the communication. Sample disclosure forms are available at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/laws_regulations/docs/swrcb_godf_fillin.pdf.

This item will be considered at the August 4, 2015, Board meeting. Beginning Tuesday, July 28, 2015, at 12:00 noon, ex parte communications between interested persons and board members concerning this item are prohibited.

• Eric Potashner Ex Parte Communications Disclosure (occurred on June 11, 2015)
• Justin Oldfield Ex Parte Communications Disclosure (occurred on June 16, 2015)

Past Activities and Documents

Documents for State Water Board Consideration on August 4, 2015:

• New! Second Revised Notice - Second Revised Notice of Public Hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Report and Proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations
• Response to Comments, July 23, 2015
• Draft General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations, July 20, 2015
• Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), July 20, 2015
• Draft EIR Appendices A-L, July 20, 2015
  Appendix A
  Appendix B
  Appendix C
  Appendix D
  Appendix E
  Appendix F
  Appendix G
  Appendix H
  Appendix I
  Appendix J
  Appendix K
  Appendix L
  
• Draft Composting General Order Requirements Matrix, July 20, 2015

Revised Documents as of May 29, 2015:

• REVISED Public Notice - Notice of Availability; Notice of Public Workshop; Notice of Public Meeting: DEIR and Proposed General
• Public Meeting: DEIR and Proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations
• Draft General Waste Discharge Requirements For Composting Operations - May 29, 2015
• Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) - May 29, 2015
• Draft EIR Appendices A-L - May 29, 2015
• Draft Composting General Order Requirements Matrix- May 29, 2015

Revised Documents as of January 6, 2015:

• Public Notice- Notice of Availability; Notice of Public Workshop; Notice of Public Meeting: DEIR and Proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations
• Comments
• Draft General Waste Discharge Requirements For Composting Operations - January 6, 2015
• Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) - January 6, 2015
• Draft EIR Appendices A-L - January 6, 2015

Public Workshop: February 13, 2015 at 10:00 AM

• Presentation
• Compost Fact Sheet: Draft General Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Operations, February 9, 2015

Concept Revisions

The revisions to the concepts are provided below and reflect comments received since the August 23, 2013 public scoping meeting.

• DRAFT Composting General Order Requirements – Revised January 2015
• DRAFT Composting General Order Requirements – Revised May 2014
• DRAFT Composting General Order Requirements – August 16, 2013

Public Scoping Meeting: Programmatic Environmental Impact Report

• August 23, 2013 - CEQA Public Scoping Meeting Agenda
• Presentation
• Revised Notice - Public Comment Period Extended to September 6, 2013 (by Noon).
• Notice Of Preparation And Notice Of Public Scoping Meeting Environmental Impact Report For General Waste Discharge Requirements For Composting Operations

Informational Meeting: Changes to the Draft Statewide Order for Composting Facilities

• Agenda with instructions
• Handout
• DRAFT Composting General Order Requirements - May 2013
• Presentation
• Northern California (Sacramento)
  • Date and Time: May 20, 2013, 2 PM to 4 PM
  • Place: Cal/EPA Building, Coastal Hearing Room
• Southern California (Riverside)
  • Date and Time: May 21, 2013, 2 PM to 4 PM
  • Place: Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

State of California Resources

Water Boards

• State Water Resources Control Board
• Biosolids Program
• Central Valley Salinity Alternative for Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS)
• Data and Databases
  • California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS)  |  Geotracker (Groundwater Data)  |  Leachate and Runoff Data
• Land Disposal Program: Waste Discharge Requirements
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
  • Storm Water  |  Wastewater
• Presentations
  • October 2009 - Composting Waver Concepts & Interagency Coordination - Frederick S. Moss
  • February 2010 - Regulatory Authority Review & Concepts for a Statewide Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Composting Facilities - Roger Mitchell

Regional Water Quality Control Boards

• North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
• San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board
• Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board
• San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery

• Assembly Bill 939
• Composting and Mulch Regulations (Title 14 California Code of Regulations)
• Organic Materials Management
• Organics Road Map - Strategic Directive 8.3
• December 3, 2009 Webinar Meeting
  Current Water Management Practices at Composting Facilities
  • Agenda
  • Presentations
    • Sonoma Compost - Will Bakx
    • Grover Landscaping, Inc. - Adam Grover
      • Cortina Soil Series  |  Soil Map  |  Vernalis 2009 Climate Report  |  Compost Pile Turning Video
    • Tulare County Compost & Biomass, Inc. - John Jones

California Department of Food and Agriculture

• Fertilizing Inspection Materials Program

Other States Resources

• Connecticut
  • Leaf Composting Regulations (Title 22a, Section 22a-208i(a)-1 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (effective February 16, 1994))
• Delaware
  • Composting Regulations (Delaware Administrative Code, Title 7 Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Section 1301, Regulations Governing Solid Waste)
• Idaho
  • Composting Regulations (Idaho Administrative Code, IDAPA 58, Title 01, Chapter 06, Section 58.01.06 - Solid Waste Management Rules
• Iowa
  • Composting & Organics, Department of Natural Resources
  • Composting Regulations (IAC Chapter 567-105, Organic Materials Composting Facilities)
• Kansas
  • Composting Program, Department of Health and Environment
  • Composting Regulations (Kansas Statutes Annotated, Chapter 65, Article 34 and Administrative Regulations Article 29)
• Maine
  • Solid Waste Management, Department of Environmental Protection
  • Composting Regulations (Chapter 409 - Solid Waste Management Rules: Processing Facilities)
• Maryland
  • Solid Waste Program, Department of the Environment
  • Fact sheet: Statutes, Regulations, and Guidance Concerning the Regulation of Composting in Maryland
  • Composting Regulations (COMAR, Title 26, Permit Requirements), Regulations Search
• Minnesota
  • Composting Regulations (Minnesota Administrative Rules, 7035.2525, Solid Waste Management Facilities Governed)
• Mississippi
  • General Solid Waste Guidance Webpage, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
• New York
  • Composting Regulations (Chapter IV, Subpart 360-5: Composting Facilities)
• North Carolina
  • Compost Webpage, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
  • Composting Regulations (North Carolina Administrative Code, Section .1400 - Solid Waste Compost Facilities)
• Ohio
  • Composting Program, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
  • Composting Regulations (Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) Chapter 560)
• Oregon
  • Composting Program, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
  • Composting Regulations (Oregon Administrative Rules, Division 96)
• Rhode Island
  • Waste Management, Department of Environmental Management
  • Composting Regulations (Solid Waste Regulation No. 8 Solid Waste Composting Facilities)
• South Carolina
  • Compost Webpage, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
  • Animal Facilities Regulations (Regulation R.61-43)
  • Sludge Facilities Regulations (Regulation R.61-9)
  • Compost & Mulch Regulations (Regulation R.61-107.4)
• Washington
  • Organic Materials Management, Washington State Department of Ecology
  • Composting Regulations (WAC title173, chapter 350, section 220)
• Wisconsin
  • Composting Rules Webpage, Department of Natural Resources
  • Composting Regulations (Wisconsin Administrative Code, Chapter NR 502.12)

(Updated 1/11/17)