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TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	06/09/2016
Subject: REPORT on Stormwater Funding.
Submitted For:	TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Department:	Conservation & Development
Referral No.:	5
Referral Name:	Review issues associated with the health of the San Francisco Bay and Delta, including water quality.
Presenter:	Steve Kowalewski, Deputy Director Department of Public Works	Contact:	Mike Carlson (925)313-2321

Information

Referral History:

The Regional Water Quality Control Boards issue the County a stormwater permit on a five-year recurring cycle. The first permit was issued in 1993 and the current permit was issued last November. The objective of the permit is to reduce pollutants in stormwater to improve stormwater quality, and increase stormwater infiltration into soils to improve watershed health.

Just before the first permit was issued, the County modified the Flood Control District Act to allow the District to collect an annual assessment on parcels throughout the County, for the cities and the County to fund permit compliance costs. The permit compliance costs for each subsequent permit has increased dramatically over the prior permit. The Transportation, Water, and Infrastructure Committee and the full Board have been following the policy and financial issues associated with implementing these stormwater permits for many years.

Board members have testified before the Regional Water Board several times describing the impacts their stormwater permit have on the County budget.

Referral Update:

The new stormwater permit, referred to as the Municipal Regional Permit 2.0, follows the prior Municipal Regional Permit 1.0 issued at the end of 2009.

In 2010, the beginning of the MRP 1.0 five year permit, there was a surplus of funds in the County’s Stormwater Program. In 2015, the last year of the MRP 1.0 permit, compliance costs exceeded the annual revenue of assessment funds and the surplus was gone.

Staff is preparing a report on the estimated costs of MRP 2.0, however, the obvious indication is there will not be enough assessment funds to meet future permit compliance costs. Attached is a report that outlines the policy and financial implications of implementing the new Municipal Regional Permit 2.0.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

ACCEPT report on the policy and financial implications of implementing the new Municipal Regional Permit 2.0, CONSIDER staff’s recommendation to prepare a Financial Report for a future Committee meeting outlining the financial issues in more detail, and PROVIDE direction and feedback to staff.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

There is no fiscal impact to accepting this report, however, there are fiscal implications to meeting the requirements of the Municipal Regional Permit 2.0 and the fiscal impact of those implications will be presented at a future Committee meeting.

Attachments
Attachment - 2015 Municipal Regional Permit Report