The Contra Costa Clean Water Program (the “CCCWP”) consists of Contra Costa County, its nineteen (19) incorporated cities/towns and the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (hereinafter referred to collectively as "Permittees"). The CCCWP was established in 1991 through a Program Agreement in response to the 1987 amendments to the federal Clean Water Act (the “CWA”), which established a framework for regulating municipal stormwater discharges under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) Permit Program. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (the “USEPA”) published final rules implementing the 1987 CWA amendments in November 1990. The rules mandate that Permittees obtain and implement stormwater permits designed to reduce and eliminate the discharge of pollutants into and from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (the “MS4s”) they own and operate. Through the CCCWP, Permittees conduct many of the mandated activities collectively (referred to as "Group Activities"), such as water quality monitoring, special studies, and public education. The roles and responsibilities of the CCCWP and Permittees are outlined in the Program Agreement, which was last updated and adopted by all Permittees in June 2010.  
  
CCCWP staff, on behalf of the Permittees, respectfully requests approval of this Purchase Order with the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) for the San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances (RMP) for a cost not to exceed $149,165.00. This ensures compliance with the stormwater permit issued by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFBRWQCB) that mandates Permittees to “participate in implementing an Estuary receiving water monitoring program, at a minimum equivalent to the San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances (RMP), by contributing their fair-share financially on an annual basis.” This Purchase Order would fulfill the Permittees’ required estuary receiving water monitoring for Fiscal Year 2015/16 (July 1, 2015- June 30, 2016)

If the Purchase Order with the SFEI for the RMP is not approved, the CCCWP and Permittees would not be able to fulfill the required San Francisco Estuary monitoring, and Permittees would be found in non-compliance and subject to fines and penalties issued by the SFBRWQCB, and third party citizen suits allowed under the CWA.