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Ventura County Brokers Landmark Stormwater Discharge Permit; May Become Statewide Model

At the beginning of May, the Los Angeles/Ventura County Regional Water Quality Board approved a new stormwater discharge permit for Ventura County and its ten cities. The new permit is widely seen as a potential model for how local governments will deal with tougher clean water standards. TPR/MIR is pleased to present the following interview with Dr. Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, and Rick Cole, city manager of Ventura, who were among the key negotiators of the pact between environmental groups and municipalities.

Published Friday June 26, 2009

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Rick Cole

Mark Gold

The new five year stormwater permit sparked both praise and condemnation. You were among the key leaders who helped shape it. Some are calling a breakthrough while the building industry branded it as potentially disastrous. How significant is the agreement?

Mark Gold: It is precedent setting in two ways. First, it sets a more standardized and science-based approach to improving water quality. It specifies a visionary goal for reducing run-off in new development, while including very practical alternative ways to reach it for urban infill projects. The crux of the requirement is that approximately 95 percent of the rain from a three-quarter inch storm must be captured and used or infiltrated on site. In the event that isn’t feasible on site, then the developer must mitigate the runoff by giving funds to local government for regional infiltration projects like green streets, parking lot retrofits, and stormwater recharge at parks, parkways, medians, or open space. Second, it shows that local government and environmentalists can work together on issues that too often lead to polarization and litigation.

Controversy over how to manage stormwater is raging throughout California. What’s at stake as local governments, environmentalists, and developers battle over how to clean up our rivers and beaches—and who will pay?