The City is required to implement a storm water program for development planning by the Federal Phase II storm water regulations, Section 402 (p) of the Clean Water Act and the California Water Code. The Clean Water Act amendments of 1987 established a frameword for refulating storm water discharges from municipal, industrial and construction activities. The primary objective of the municipal storm wate program requirements are to:
1. Effectively prohibit non-storm water discharges, and
2. Reduce the discharge of pollutants from storm water conveyance systems.
The Phase II NPDES Program is intended to reduce adverse impacts to water quality and aquatic habitat by instituting the use of controls on the unregulated sources of storm water discharges that have the greatest likelihood of causing continued environmental degradation.
Storm Water discharge within urbanized areas are a concern because of the concentration of pollutants found in these discharges. Concentrated development in urbanized areas substantially increases impervious surfaces, such as city streets, driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks, on which pollutants from concentrated human activities settle and remain until a storm event washes them into nearby storm drains.
Discharges often include wastes and wastewater from non-storm water sources. These dry weather flows from illicit and/or inappropriate discharges and connections enter the system through either direct connections (e.g. wastewater piping either mistakenly or deliberately connected to the storm drains) or indirect connections (e.g., infiltration from cracked sanitary systems, spills collected by drain outlets, or fertilizers, oil, litter and sediment, significantly degrading water quality and threatening aquatic, wildlife, and human health.
Phase II of the NPDES Program contains elements to target both public participation and public education and outreach. The City will provide opportunities for citizens to participate in program development and implementation. In addition the City will distribute educational materials and perform outreach to inform citizens about the impacts of polluted storm water runoff discharges can have on water quality. An informed and knowledgeable community is crucial to the success of a storm water management program. It is documented that there is greater support for the program as the public gains a greater understanding of the reasons why it is necessary and important. In addition there is greater compliance with the program as the public becomes aware of the personal responsibilities expected of them and others in the community, including the individual actions they can take to protect or improve the quality of area waters.
