EOA has been a leader in the development and implementation of municipal stormwater management programs since the inception of stormwater regulations in the early 1990s. We have assisted numerous public agencies and private entities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and California with innovative strategies and practical approaches to stormwater management. EOA has helped our clients to consistently achieve cost-effective compliance with challenging stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements, and in some cases to earn national and State awards. Our comprehensive stormwater management services include:
- New and redevelopment controls, including Green Stormwater Infrastructure
- Municipal operations and maintenance
- Industrial and commercial facilities
- Illicit discharge controls
- Pesticide management
- Trash controls
- Public outreach and education
- Pollutants of concern (e.g., PCBs, and mercury) controls
- Water quality monitoring & assessment
CASE STUDIES
Municipal Stormwater Management and NPDES Permit Compliance
Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program (SCVURPPP)
In 1997, EOA was retained by SCVURPPP to serve as Program management staff and provide assistance with the institutional, regulatory, fiscal, and technical aspects of implementing the Program’s Urban Runoff Management Plan (URMP). The firm’s relationship with SCVURPPP has continued ever since. Program management tasks have included:
- regulatory liaison with the Water Board
- budget management
- policy development
- technical guidance on monitoring, watershed, and new development programs
- liaison with other California programs
- serving as a Board member of the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) and a Board member of the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA)
EOA staff prepares the Program’s annual work plans and annual reports. We also develop and help implement pollutant-specific work plans required by the Program’s permit. EOA has helped the Program develop two new performance standards (for pesticide management and rural public works activities) and revise five existing standards. EOA also prepared and submitted two permit application packages for re-issuance of SCVURPPP’s NPDES permit, one in 1999 and one in 2005. EOA staff conducts two to four training workshops per year and produces numerous guidance documents to help Co-permittees comply with permit requirements. For example, EOA staff recently completed a handbook for implementing stormwater requirements for new and redevelopment, and developed a hydromodification management plan with performance criteria and guidance on flow controls to reduce erosion in streams. Staff also manages countywide public information and outreach efforts, including an ongoing media campaign called “Watershed Watch”, and implements the annual monitoring work plan.
Municipal Stormwater Management and NPDES Permit Compliance
San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program (SMCWPPP)
Since 1993, EOA has assisted the San Mateo Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program (SMCWPPP) and its 21 municipalities to obtain coverage under and comply with their municipal stormwater NPDES permit, including most recently the Municipal Regional Permit. EOA has provided comprehensive technical and regulatory assistance with all of the major components of municipal stormwater compliance, including municipal operations, facility inspections, illicit discharge controls, development and construction controls, green stormwater infrastructure, pesticide controls, trash controls, water quality monitoring, and pollutant of concern planning, studies, and control measure implementation.
EOA has also assisted the SMCWPPP Program Manager and staff with all facets of countywide stormwater program management, including overall program planning, scoping and budgeting, and obtaining funding (e.g., preparing grant applications). We have also helped staff and facilitate SMCWPPP’s Technical Advisory Committee and Stormwater Committee, which provide overall technical and policy direction to the program, and most of SMCWPPP’s various technical subcommittees and workgroups. EOA has facilitated many training workshops for municipal staff that address key permit provisions and has developed numerous guidance documents to help San Mateo County municipalities comply with NPDES permit requirements. Each year EOA staff has prepared SMCWPPP’s Annual Report and assisted individual municipalities in San Mateo County prepare their Annual Reports.
Finally, EOA has assisted SMCWPPP develop permit application packages for each re-issuance of the municipal stormwater NPDES permit. We have also provided SMCWPPP and its Permittees with regulatory liaison with the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water Board, and have assisted SMCWPPP to coordinate and collaborate with other Bay Area countywide stormwater programs through the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) and the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA).