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City staff brief council on Clean Water Program, stormwater rules and funding
Summary
Public Works staff summarized state stormwater regulations, the municipal regional permit requirements, and local stormwater funding via a county stormwater utility area assessment; council members asked about street sweeping, funding flows and retrofit planning.
Lucille Paquette, Clean Water Program Manager in Public Works, gave the City Council an overview of Walnut Creek’s Clean Water Program and its responsibilities under the Municipal Regional Permit at the June 17 meeting.
Paquette explained that storm drains discharge untreated runoff to creeks and the bay, so the city’s program focuses on pollution prevention, street cleaning, full‑trash capture devices, private‑property inspections, and new permit provisions — including enforcement for discharges associated with firefighting and requirements for road project stormwater controls. She described the county stormwater utility area assessment (SUA) as a long‑standing, dedicated funding source collected by the county and allocated through the regional clean water program; Walnut Creek’s SUA maximum rate was established in the county ordinance and has been at the adopted maximum (the presenter said $35) for many years.
Paquette said the Municipal Regional Permit has been renewed periodically (2009, 2014, 2022) and that negotiations for the next permit will begin in the fall. She noted new permit elements such as requirements to retrofit impervious acres and the need to consider roadway projects under C.3 stormwater requirements. Council members asked how SUA revenue is collected and distributed, whether the city’s street sweeping schedule is publicized, and about the program’s operating budget. Paquette said the city receives an allocation from the county assessment, the program’s work funds street maintenance and inspections, and staff can pursue outreach to increase awareness of street sweeping schedules.
Why it matters: The Clean Water Program enforces state and regional stormwater rules that affect public works projects, private development and downtown storm drainage; funding constraints and new permit requirements can increase costs and require future capital and maintenance work.
