Water Quality Stevens & Permanente Creeks Watershed Council

Water Quality Programming

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

Santa Clara County Stormwater Program

Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Inititive

Data

Monitoring

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is a calculation of the amount of pollutants that a water body can assimilate and still perform all its functions. Development of a TMDL for Stevens Creek is not just a requirement of the Clean Water Act, but will help us to regulate and monitor the health of the Creek and to identify problem areas.

This task will be conducted this year. The next step is to complete wet weather monitoring this summer and identify sources of metals, bacteria, and other pollutants.

Check out the SCVURPPP website or contact Paul Randal for more information.

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Santa Clara County Stormwater Program

This program is mandated under an EPA rule of 1990 to address polluted runoff entering stormwater systems in municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) and eventually discharging into a waterbody such as a river or bay.

Municipalities deemed "urbanized areas" by U.S. Census data are required to undergo stormwater retrofitting to comply with new regulations. Municipalities on the "urban fringe" may apply for a waiver and forego regulation of MS4s. All the communities in the Stevens Creek watershed are either required or eligible for Phase II regulation.

Required

Eligible

Federal guidelines dictate that the MS4 operator must:

A) Apply for a regional board permit and incorporate Best Management Practices (BMPs) for

1. Public Education and Outreach on Storm Water Impacts

2. Public Involvement/Participation

3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

4. Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control Program

5. Post Construction Storm Water Management in new development and redevelopment

6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations

B) Achieve measurable goals for each minimum control measure

C) Develop an implementation schedule including interim milestones and frequency of activities

D) Report all results

Draft regulations (developed in a collaborative effort by SCVURPPP and others) are due to be submitted to the EPA by September.

Although the watershed approach is not written into the regulations explicitly, communities that are tied to a watershed managing body may be eligible for an extension of the timetable.

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Santa Clara Basin Watershed Inititive

The Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative (WMI) is a collaborative, stakeholder driven effort among representatives from regional and local public agencies; civic, environmental, resource conservation and agricultural groups; professional and trade organizations; business and industrial sectors; and the general public.

The goals of the WMI are to:
Ensure that the WMI is a broad, consensus-based process.

Ensure that necessary resources are provided for WMI implementation.

Simplify compliance with regulatory requirements without compromising environmental protection.

Balance the objectives of water supply management, habitat protection, flood management

and land use to protect and enhance water quality.

Protect and/or restore streams, reservoirs, wetlands and the Bay for the benefit of fish, wildlife and human uses.

Develop an implementable Watershed Management Plan that incorporates science

and will be continuously improved.

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Data

Temperature

Dissolved Oxygen

Metals

Nutrients

Pathogens

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Monitoring

SCVWD

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EPA

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Department of Fish and Game

Regional Board

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