State Water Quality Protection Areas
Assessing State Water Quality Protection Areas
Coastal Quest’s Partnership with the State Water Resources Control Board
Since 2022, Coastal Quest (CQ) has been partnering with the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to pilot scalable solutions aimed at improving water quality across California. In support of SWRCB’s key priorities, CQ and SWRCB launched a Central Coast pilot tool in 2022 to support efforts to strengthen water quality enforcement and management.
As part of this effort, CQ developed a GIS-based assessment tool designed to help identify coastal areas with strong potential for nomination and designation as State Water Quality Protection Areas (SWQPAs), including Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS or SWQPA-ASBS). The tool evaluates coastal regions based on their ecological and water quality benefits, helping inform more strategic protection efforts.
Following initial feedback, we collaborated with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Statewide Leadership Team to refine the tool.
Today, the SWQPA Assessment Tool has been expanded into a statewide resource, with enhanced data layers that provide comprehensive coverage across California. This expanded tool is designed to help users:
- Evaluate opportunities to extend the SWQPA network, particularly in areas that overlap with or are adjacent to MPAs.
- Strengthen and expand the SWQPA network by making it easier for the public to identify potential sites for nomination and for SWRCB to evaluate those nominations.
The tool also enables users to visualize key attributes within existing SWQPA-ASBS sites and supports the preparation and review of potential nominations for new SWQPA designations. By providing accessible, data-driven insights, it helps inform decisions about future coastal protections.
SWQPA Assessment Tool
Coastal Quest recognizes SWQPAs as an underutilized yet highly valuable mechanism for strengthening coastal protections and advancing California’s 30×30 conservation goals through a water quality lens. The SWQPA Assessment Tool was developed to support both the review of existing nominations and the identification of future candidate sites. 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.
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-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 1975.
- The public can nominate new SWQPA-ASBS or SWQPA-GP at any time by following the SWRCB’s nomination process in the SWRCB Ocean Plan (Appendix IV).
ASBS Nomination Under Review: Point Sur MPAs
An ASBS nomination for the Point Sur MPAs in Monterey, California is currently under review. The nomination was submitted by California Coastkeeper Alliance, Monterey Waterkeeper, and The Otter Project.
The California Coastkeeper Alliance (CCKA) is a statewide network of Waterkeeper organizations working to ensure all Californians have access to fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters. Monterey Waterkeeper protects and restores the waters of the Monterey region and California’s Central Coast. The Otter Project, a program of CCKA, focuses on protecting coastal ecosystems and supporting the recovery of the threatened southern sea otter. Together, these organizations are advancing efforts to protect the ecological health and water quality of the Point Sur MPAs.
To review the full nomination materials, please click here.
