Winery Order

The order pertains to wineries and other similar facilities with activities related to producing wine or grape juice that generate winery waste and discharge it to land for reuse or disposal. The Wine Institute estimates 2,070 of the 3,612 bonded wineries in California will be subject to the order, with compliance requirements based on gallons of wastewater produced annually (using a 1 through 4 Tier system).

Tier 1: 10,001 - 30,000 gallons per year, approx. 840-2,500 cases
Tier 2: 30,001 - 300,000 gallons per year, approx. 2,500-25,0000 cases
Tier 3: 300,001 - 1,000,000 gallons per year, approx. 25,000-84,000 cases
Tier 4: 1,000,000 - 15,000,000 gallons per year, approx. 84,000+ cases

Important Milestones

Each winery is required to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI), technical report, and pay a filing fee, which serves as the first years annual fee.

Determine Applicability

Start by determining if enrollment in the Winery Order is required by evaluating process water flows and the methods used to discharge process water. Wineries not subject to this Winery Order are those that produce less than 10,000 gallons of winery process water per year, and those with operations not resulting in discharges to land (e.g., process water discharges to surface water or tank and haul operations of process water). Facilities producing under 10,000 gallons are only required to register under this general order if directed by the State Water Board or a regional water board.

Enrollment Application

The NOI, technical report, and filing fee must be submitted by January 20, 2024.

Complete the Electronic Notice of Intent (eNOI) using the Winery General Order Notice of Intent Help Guide, pay the associated application fee, then submit the signed and completed Notice of Intent to the Regional Water Board.

Officially Enrolled

The Regional Water Board reviews the application and responds with a Notice of Applicability (NOA) as well as a Monitoring and Reporting Program (MRP) specific to the winery. The winery is officially enrolled and the MRP begins. Within the NOA, the State Water Board or regional water board will, at a minimum, confirm the winery's tier, provide an MRP, and, if applicable, a timeline for compliance.

Compliance Schedule

The technical report shall include a proposed schedule for full compliance that must be as short as practicable but may not exceed 5 years from the date of the NOI. Monthly Non-Compliance Letters are to be summited until upgrades are completed and compliance is met.