Under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, states, territories and authorized tribes are required to develop a list of water quality limited segments. These waters on the list do not meet water quality standards, even after point sources of pollution have installed the minimum required levels of pollution control technology. The Clean Water Act requires that these jurisdictions establish priority rankings for water on the lists and develop action plans, called as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL), to improve water quality.

Every two years, the California State Water Resources Control Board submits a report on the State's water quality to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 305(b) of the federal Clean Water Act. The Report provides water quality information to the general public and serves as the basis for U.S. EPA 's National Water Quality Inventory Report to Congress.

This dataset includes all linear water body features in California assessed under Sections 303(d) and 305(b) of the Clean Water Act for the combined 2014 and 2016 Integrated Report listing cycle. Each water body is assigned a unique Water Body ID (WBID) number as well as selected associated information (water body name, Regional Water Quality Control Board number, etc.).