Senate BillPassed first houseWater
SB 601: Water: waste discharge.
What SB 601 does, verified August 15, 2026
The bill aims to amend California's water quality regulations to include nexus waters, which are non-navigable waters that may still be impacted by pollution. The state water resources control board will be authorized to adopt water quality control plans for these waters, and regional boards will be required to include nexus waters in their processes, such as the California integrated report and total maximum daily loads. The bill also requires the state board and regional boards to implement federal water pollution control act requirements for discharges to nexus waters, and to treat nexus waters as navigable waters for purposes of compliance. Additionally, the bill establishes a penalty adjustment account to adjust civil monetary penalties for violations of waste discharge requirements, and authorizes the attorney general and state board to bring actions to enforce provisions related…
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✓IntroducedComplete
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4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: August 13 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. (2026-08-13)Alert me
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| Aug. 13, 2026 | August 13 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. |
| Aug. 29, 2025 | August 29 hearing postponed by committee. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 | August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 | August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Jul. 16, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
Latest bill textAmended version, July 10, 2025 · 1,518 words
| Amended IN Assembly July 10, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly June 25, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate May 23, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate May 05, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate April 21, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate April 08, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 601
| Introduced by Senator Allen (Coauthor: Senator Gonzalez) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Connolly, Kalra, and Rogers) |
February 20, 2025 |
An act to amend Sections 13170, 13263, 13350, 13370, 13372, 13373, 13374, 13376, 13383.5, and 13385.1 of, to amend the heading of Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 13370) of Division 7 of, and to add Sections 13052, 13164.5, 13250, 13251, 13352, 13377.5, and 13385.5 to, the Water Code, relating to water.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 601, as amended, Allen. Water: waste discharge.
(1) Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards regulate water quality and prescribe waste discharge requirements in accordance with the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (act) and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Under the act, the State Water Resources Control Board is authorized to adopt water quality control plans for waters for which quality standards are required by the federal Clean Water Act, as specified, and that in the event of a conflict, those plans supersede regional water quality control plans for the same waters.
This bill would delete the limitation on the state board’s authorization, and instead would authorize the state board to adopt water quality control plans for any waters of the state, which would include nexus waters, which the bill would define as all waters of the state that are not also navigable, except as specified. The bill would require any water quality standard applicable to nexus waters, which that was submitted to, and approved by, or is awaiting approval by, the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the state board that applied to nexus waters as of January 19, 2025, May 24, 2023, to remain in effect, except where the state board, regional board, or United States Environmental Protection Agency adopts a more stringent standard. as provided. The bill would require the state board and regional boards to include nexus waters in all processes pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act, Act processes, including, but not limited to, the California Integrated Report and the establishment of total maximum daily loads, as specified.
(2) Existing law requires a regional board, after any necessary hearing, to prescribe requirements as to the nature of any proposed discharge, existing discharge, or material change in an existing discharge, except discharges into a community sewer system, with relation to the conditions existing in the disposal area or receiving waters upon, or into which, the discharge is made or proposed and sets forth what the requirements are to include.
This bill would require the above-described discharge requirements to, in the case of discharges from any point source to nexus waters, implement the relevant federal standards. implement, at a minimum, the requirements of provisions implementing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.
(3) The act authorizes the imposition of civil penalties for violations of certain waste discharge requirements, including violation of a cease and desist order or a cleanup and abatement order, and requires that penalties imposed pursuant to these provisions be deposited into the Waste Discharge Permit Fund, to be expended by the state board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes related to water quality. For violations of certain other waste discharge requirements, the act imposes specified civil penalties, the proceeds of which are deposited into the continuously appropriated State Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account.
This bill would require, commencing January 1, 2026, and each calendar year thereafter, the state board’s executive director to adjust civil monetary penalties, as specified, including the civil penalties for the above-described provisions. The bill would require moneys collected in accordance with these annual adjustments to be deposited into the Penalty Adjustment Account, that the bill would establish within the Waste Discharge Permit Fund, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, be expended by the state board for purposes of cleaning up and abating the effects of waste on waters of the state.
(4) Existing law generally provides for enforcement and implementation of the act.
This bill would authorize specified entities, including the Attorney General and the state board, to bring an action to enforce certain provisions related to nexus waters or waste discharge requirements for nexus waters, as provided.
(5) The act provides various provisions related to waste discharge to ensure consistency with the requirements for state programs implementing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto. The act defines the terms “navigable waters,” “administrator,” “pollutants,” “biological monitoring,” “discharge,” and “point sources” as having the same meanings as in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
This bill would provide that “waste discharge requirements” include waste discharge requirements issued for discharges to nexus waters, and “discharge” includes discharges from any point source to nexus waters. any addition of a pollutant to a nexus water from any point source. The bill would provide that for purposes of compliance with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, nexus waters shall be treated as though they are navigable waters and navigable waters of the United States. The bill would require waste discharge requirements adopted or amended for discharges to nexus waters to be adopted pursuant to and in accordance with the requirements of provisions implementing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, as specified.
(6) The act requires a person who discharges pollutants or proposes to discharge pollutants to the navigable waters of the United States within the jurisdiction of this state or a person who discharges dredged or fill material or proposes to discharge dredged or fill material into the navigable waters of the United States within the jurisdiction of this state to file a report of the discharge, except as specified. The act prohibits the discharge of pollutants or dredged or fill material or the operation of a publicly owned treatment works or other treatment works treating domestic sewage by any person, except as authorized by waste discharge requirements or dredged or fill material permits.
This bill would require a person to file a report for discharges to nexus waters. The bill would apply the above-described prohibition to nexus waters.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 13052 is added to the Water Code, immediately following Section 13051, to read:13052.
As used in this division:(a)“Federal standards” means federal laws or federal regulations implementing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), including, but not limited to, water quality standards, effluent limitations, and drinking water standards in effect as of January 19, 2025. If, after January 19, 2025, those federal laws or regulations are modified to set a more stringent requirement, the more stringent requirements shall apply.
(b)
(a) “Nexus waters” means all waters of the state that are not also navigable waters, as defined in Section 13373, except for the following waters of the state:
(1) Any waters of the state that were determined to be nonjurisdictional for purposes of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.) by either the United States Environmental Protection Agency or a United States Army Corps of Engineers approved jurisdictional determination or verified aquatic resource delineation report prior to May 25, 2023.
(2) Nonwetland tributaries that are tributary only to a water of the state that was determined to be nonjurisdictional pursuant to paragraph (1).
(3) A wetland water of the state that is adjacent to, adjoining, or otherwise hydraulically connected only to a water of the state that was determined to be nonjurisdictional pursuant to paragraph (1).
(4) A wetland water of the state that is not adjacent to, adjoining, or otherwise hydraulically connected to any nonwetland waters of the state.
(5) A nonwetland water of the state that is not adjacent to, adjoining, or otherwise hydraulically connected to other waters of the state.
(5)
(6)
Groundwater.(6)
(7)
Waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons, designed to meet the requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.).(7)
(8)
Prior converted cropland designated by the United States Secretary of Agriculture.(8)
(9)
Ditches, including roadside ditches, excavated wholly in and draining only dry land and that do not carry a relatively permanent flow of water.(9)
(10)
Artificially irrigated areas that would revert to dry land if the irrigation ceased.(10)
(11)
Artificial lakes or ponds created by excavating or diking dry land to collect and retain water and that are used exclusively for purposes such as stock watering, irrigation, settling basins, or rice growing.Text of SB 601 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions