Coastal Quest
  • About Us
    • Board of Directors and Staff
    • Our Partners
    • Job Opportunities
  • Our Approach
  • Our Programs
    • Resilient Coastal Governments and Communities
    • Resilient Protected Areas and Parks
      • MPA Small Grants Program
    • Protecting and Restoring Coastal Ecosystems
      • Coastal Nature-Based Solutions 30×30
      • Coastal Funding Database
      • Blue Carbon Collaborative – Monthly Meetings
    • Clean Coastal Water
      • State Water Quality Protection Areas
      • SWQPA Assessment Tool
  • Work with Us
    • Fiscal Sponsorships
  • Conferences
    • California Wildfire Conference Oct. 24-26, 2023
    • Accelerating Solutions for a Resilient Coast
    • Achieving 30×30 for Our Coasts, Oceans, and Communities
    • California Plastic Crisis Conference Series: Impacts and Solutions at Home and Beyond
    • Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink
    • Past Coastal Resilience Conferences
  • Donate
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / Our Programs2 / Clean Coastal Water3 / State Water Quality Protection Areas

State Water Quality Protection Areas

Piloting Tools to Assess State Water Quality Protection Areas

Coastal Quest’s Partnership with the State Water Resources Control Board

In partnership with the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), Coastal Quest (CQ) is piloting scalable solutions to improve water quality. Addressing one of SWRCB’s key priorities, CQ and SWRCB launched a Central Coast pilot project in 2022 to support efforts to strengthen water quality enforcement and management and assist with assessing areas with the potential for the nomination of new State Water Quality Protection Areas (SWQPAs), such as Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS).

We created a GIS pilot tool for the Central Coast, that can be used to assess coastal areas for their holistic benefits. We collaborated with the Central Coast Water Boards and the MPA State Leadership Team to refine the tool.

SWQPA Assessment Tool

We built the SWQPA Assessment Tool to support reviews of SWQPA nominations and potential future nominations.

Let’s work together to protect and support coastal water quality through new and necessary water quality protection designations. Contact us at coastalnbs@coastal-quest.org if you would like to learn more about this tool or need training.

Click here to explore the tool

What is an SWQPA?

SWQPAs are “areas designated to protect marine species or biological communities from an undesirable alteration in natural water quality…waste discharge shall be prohibited or limited.”

There are two types of SWQPAs: ASBS and General Protection Areas (SWQPA-GP).

An ASBS is an ocean area monitored and maintained for water quality by the SWRCB. Per the SWRCB website:  “ASBS cover much of the length of California’s coastal waters. They support an unusual variety of aquatic life, and often host unique individual species. ASBS are basic building blocks for a sustainable, resilient coastal environment and economy.”

In 2012, the SWRCB created a new category of SWQPA called SWQPA-General Protection (SWQPA-GP) to protect water quality within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) specifically.

Fun Facts

  • There are currently 34 ASBS.
  • No new ASBS have been designated since 1974.
  • One ASBS nomination is currently under review. The public can nominate new ASBS or SWQPA-GP at any time by following the SWRCB’s nomination process in the SWRCB Ocean Plan.

Want to dive deeper into the history of SWQPA and ASBS? Check out the following resources:

  • 2012 SWQPA Amendment Public Hearing PowerPoint
  • Water Boards Resolution No. 2010-0057
  • California Ocean Plan –Appendix IV
  • 2012 Draft Final SED – Amendment to Ocean Plan to include SWQPA-GP
  • About Us
  • Our Approach
  • Our Programs
  • Work with Us
© 2024 Coastal Quest. WordPress Web Design and Development by HyperArts
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top