San Jose accepts FY24–25 stormwater report; city at 97.7% trash-capture compliance, aims for 100%

The San Jose City Council unanimously accepted the city's Stormwater Management Annual Report for fiscal year 2024'—25 on Sept. 23, receiving detailed updates on green stormwater infrastructure, trash-capture work and encampment abatements along waterways.

"This is a re-permit we're required to bring back to council every year before we submit it to the Water Board," Jeff Provenzano, director of the Environmental Services Department, told the council as he opened the presentation on the city's obligations under the Clean Water Act and the regional municipal stormwater permit.

The report matters because federal and state water-quality rules require cities to keep pollutants and trash out of storm drains and waterways. Council and staff framed the work as both an environmental and public-health obligation: the council heard that the city now reports 97.7% compliance with the stormwater trash-load reduction target and is working to reach 100% by the end of the year.

Staff highlighted several accomplishments in fiscal 2024'—25. Jennifer Seguin, deputy director for the Department of Transportation, said the Riverview Stormwater Garden regional capture project opened this year and earned recognition from the California Stormwater Quality Association. The city approved permits for 45 green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects, inspected 24% of an inventory of 655 GSI installations and has additional regional projects in design and construction.

Matthew Nguyen, deputy director of Public Works, said the city has installed 36 large trash-capture devices and about 462 smaller devices in the last fiscal year to trap litter before it reaches creeks and the Bay. He said the city inspected private parcels connected to the storm system and that roughly 2,400 parcels were assessed; about 234 were identified as needing remedial action to meet requirements.

"The city currently is at 97.7% compliance without any offset, and our goal is to achieve the 100% compliance by the end of this year," Nguyen said.

The report included work on encampments and direct discharges to waterways. Olympia Williams, deputy director for Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, said BeautifySJ and partner teams cleared encampments from 16 miles of waterways during the year, removing more than 3.6 million pounds of trash and debris; the city had cleared 27.2 miles of waterways and established more than 22 miles of no-encampment zones by the time of the presentation.

Regulatory and cost details were also presented. Staff said the fiscal 2024'—25 stormwater budget and spending totaled about $124 million. The largest line items were investments in GSI and trash-capture efforts, and a new permit provision requiring lifecycle-cost planning for water-quality assets.

Council members pressed staff on implementation and enforcement. Mayor Matt Mahan asked how the city would bring private parcels into compliance; Provenzano and Nguyen said the city had mailed notices, increased enforcement penalties in the municipal code, and was working with property owners to install capture devices or correct maintenance issues. Councilmember Peter Ortiz and others asked about re-encampment patterns after abatement; staff said they monitor migration patterns and are considering additional no-encampment zones and targeted outreach.

Council discussion also emphasized the link between the city's stormwater goals and homelessness policy. Mahan said the city had made substantial progress but warned that fully protecting all waterways would require more work, including additional shelter and housing capacity to avoid simply moving encampments to other locations.

Staff recognized nonprofit partners that have supplemented city work. The council saw a short video and heard staff praise groups including Trash Punks, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition for organizing cleanups and removing large volumes of debris.

The council voted unanimously to accept the report and to transmit required materials to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board as part of the municipal stormwater permit process.

The city will return to the council with continued updates as it implements the permit requirements, completes planned GSI projects and works to reach 100% trash-capture compliance by the end of the permit year.