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Palo Alto staff outline new stormwater ordinance chapters, GSI plans and near-complete trash-capture compliance
Summary
City staff described the new municipal code structure for sewer/stormwater rules, the citys strategy to meet MRP requirements including a Juana Briones Park GSI project, and progress on MRP trash-load reduction (reported at 99.2 percent and advancing toward 100 percent).
Staff updated the committee on regional stormwater permit obligations (the MRP), a municipal code reorganization and steps to meet trash-load reduction and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) targets.
Pam, stormwater compliance manager, summarized the changes to the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) that reorganize sewer use, stormwater pollution prevention, liquid waste and fats/oil/grease into separate chapters (chapter citations discussed during the meeting); Pam said the new chapters become effective Oct. 30 and that staff will publish user-friendly regulation documents to support inspections and compliance.
Pam described the MRP program (the regional permit administered by the State Water Resources Control Board for the San Francisco Bay watershed and commonly called MRP) and noted permittees are beginning negotiations for the next permit cycle (MRP-4). She reviewed applicable MRP provisions (municipal operations, industrial/commercial site controls, illicit-discharge controls, construction site controls, public information and specialized topics such as copper, PCBs/mercury legacy pollutant reporting, firefighting discharges, asset management, and cost reporting). Pam explained the city must inventory and manage stormwater-quality assets (GSI and trash devices) and must report program costs annually.
On green stormwater infrastructure, staff described a proposed Juana Briones Park GSI project that the city expects to begin design in January (15-month design estimate) and could construct in FY2027 or later depending on budget availability; this project was presented as a principal way the city will meet the MRPs GSI treatment targets.
On trash reduction, staff reviewed the MRP target-setting process (2014 baseline; 90% by 2023; 100% by 2025) and explained crediting methods: full credit for structural capture devices installed at inlets or in the pipe network and periodic visual assessments for street segments that remain low. Staff reported the citys most recent calculated attainment at 99.2 percent and said staff are installing additional small inlet capture devices and performing targeted cleanups to reach 100 percent by the new December 31 extension the regional board has allowed. Staff noted the regional board issued cease-and-desist orders last week to some cities that did not reach their target; those orders were directed at jurisdictions with lower compliance levels (around 95% or less).
The presenter explained that installing inlet capture devices converts an area to “low” for the purposes of the MRP calculation and that each installed device contributes a small increment toward a jurisdictions overall percent reduction. Staff listed Stanford Mall area and other high-trash locations as priorities for continued outreach and capture device deployment. The committee discussed enforcement distinctions: individual residential behaviors (for example, residential car washing) are addressed primarily through outreach, while mobile car-detailing businesses and commercial sites with private storm drains are subject to inspection and enforcement under applicable regulations.
Committee members asked about asset-management scheduling, cost reporting and next steps for MRP negotiations; staff said they are preparing the required reports and will seek Council support for larger projects and funding where necessary.
