Governor's Office of California

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency and its mission is to preserve, enhance, and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health, and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper water resource allocation and efficient use, for the benefit of present and future generations.

Created by the State Legislature in 1967, the five-member Board develops statewide policy and regulations for water quality control and allocates water rights.    It protects water quality by setting statewide water quality standards, issuing statewide general permits, conducting statewide surface and groundwater monitoring and assessment, and issuing orders for cleaning up contaminated sites.  It protects water rights through water rights adjudications, regulation development and enforcement.  Each of the five full-time salaried board members fills a different specialized position (representing the public, engineering expertise, water quality expertise, and water supply).