Priority: Water
Stormwater Management
On February 19, 2003, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, issued a municipal stormwater permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program to the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program (ACCWP). The purpose of the permit is to reduce the discharge of pollutants in stormwater to the maximum extent practicable and to effectively prohibit non-stormwater discharges into municipal storm drain systems and watercourses. The City of Oakland, as a member of the ACCWP, is a co-permittee under the ACCWP’s permit and is, therefore, subject to the permit requirements.
Provision C.3 of the NPDES permit is the section of the permit containing stormwater pollution management requirements for new development and redevelopment projects. Among other things, Provision C.3 requires that certain new development and redevelopment projects incorporate post-construction stormwater pollution management measures, including stormwater treatment measures, stormwater site design measures, and source control measures, to reduce stormwater pollution after the construction of the project. These requirements are in addition to standard stormwater-related best management practices (BMPs) required during construction.
Beginning February 15, 2005, all new development and redevelopment projects for which the City has not received a complete Planning and Zoning permit application that create or replace one acre or more of impervious surface are required to incorporate post-construction stormwater pollution management measures. Beginning August 15, 2006, all new development and redevelopment projects for the which the City has not received that a complete Planning and Zoning permit application that create or replace 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surface are required to incorporate post-construction stormwater pollution management measures.
- Stormwater treatment measures are engineered systems that use physical, chemical, or biological processes to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff. Examples of stormwater treatment measures include landscape-based systems such as vegetated swales, infiltration trenches, and detention ponds, as well as mechanical systems such as wet vaults and vortex separators.
- Stormwater site design measures are design techniques incorporated into new development and redevelopment projects intended to enhance the stormwater quality of a site by reducing the amount of impervious surface at the site. Examples of stormwater site design measures include permeable paving, landscaping strips, and directing roof runoff to landscaped areas.
- Source control measures are structural and operational practices to prevent stormwater pollution by reducing the potential for contamination at the source of pollution. Examples of source control measures include incorporating roofs over outside refuse areas and equipment storage areas, connecting interior floor drains to the sanitary sewer, and minimizing the accumulation of litter and debris on impervious surfaces.
Oakland's watershed has fifteen main creeks with over thirty tributaries - over 40 miles of open creeks. Because of this unique and precious resource, the City of Oakland, by implementing the Watershed Improvement Program has made environmental protection of creeks a priority.
The City of Oakland, along with the other cities in the county, is a member of the Alameda Countywide Clean Water Program (ACCWP). ACCWP acts to limit stormwater runoff pollution and to keep creeks and the Bay healthy.