SACRAMENTO – The Department of General Services (DGS) has received formal notice from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Region V, of proposed fines to be assessed against the Office of State Publishing. 

“We continue to negotiate with the Central Valley Regional Water Board about these fines,” said Will Bush, Director of DGS.  “Already we have partnered with the agency to improve our monitoring programs, to accurately set the limits for various pollutants based on more accurate data points, and to replace and relocate faulty and inaccurate test equipment.  Our goal is to make the state printing plant one of the best commercial businesses along the American River watershed.”

The issues referred to in this action cover a number of discharge violations for water that enters the American River from the state’s printing plant operation. 

The first few involved the flow of water into and out of the building’s HVAC system. This has since been corrected and there have been no flow violations since 2001. 

The next set involved new rules for various pollutants that were introduced in 2006; when the original limits proved to be too low, the Water Board reset them.  There have been no violations since the recalibration.

Finally, last summer during the July heat wave the water temperature was measured at 1-2 degrees above limit for 7 days, and the pH was slightly too acidic for four of those days.  Better, more accurate testing has brought the facility into compliance on both issues and there have been no violations since then. 

“The department has a very good working relationship with the Central Valley Regional Water Board,” explained Bush.  “We understand that under the letter of the law, some of these fines must be assessed even though the problems are technical, based on data that has since been corrected and revised, or involves problems that have already been resolved.   

“We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and will continue to work diligently to meet the highest standards of stewardship.”

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