Saticoy & Wells Community Plan & Development ... - City Of Ventura

Saticoy & Wells Community Plan and Code EIRSection 4.8 Hydrology and Water Qualityd. Regulatory Framework. Development in the Project Area is subject to various local,state, and federal regulations and permits regarding the use of water resources. The VenturaCounty Watershed Protection District, the California Department of Water Resources, and theLos Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board are the primary agencies responsible for theprotection of watersheds, floodplains, and water quality. The Ventura County Department ofHealth is the primary agency responsible for establishing design standards and permitting ofseptic tanks and wells. The federal government administers the National Pollutant DischargeElimination System (NPDES) permit program, which regulates discharges into surface waters.Section 404 of the Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of dredged or fill materials intoWaters of the United States or adjacent wetlands without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers. As discussed above under the subheading, “Flood Hazards,” FEMA establishes baseflood heights for the 100-year and 500-year flood zones.The primary regulatory control relevant to the protection of water quality is the FederalNational Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit administered by the StateWater Resources Control Board. This board establishes requirements prescribing the quality ofpoint sources of discharge and establishes water quality objectives. These objectives areestablished based on the designated beneficial uses (e.g., water supply, recreation, and habitat)for a particular surface water or groundwater. The NPDES permits are issued to point sourcedischargers of pollutants to surface waters and are issued pursuant to Water Code Chapter 5.5that implements the Federal Clean Water Act. Examples include, but are not limited to, publicwastewater treatment facilities, industries, power plants, and groundwater cleanup programsdischarging to surface waters (State Water Resources Control Board, Title 23, Chapter 9, Section2200). Discharge limits, under the NPDES permits, for minerals and pollutants are establishedand regulated by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.Locally, the Ventura County Stormwater Quality Urban Impact Mitigation Plan (SQUIMP) isincluded as an attachment to the NPDES permit. The SQUIMP is an implementation documentthat resulted from the Ventura County Stormwater Quality Management Program, which wasformed to enhance, protect and preserve water quality in Ventura County water bodies. TheProgram works as a countywide means to locally implement Clean Water Act Requirements.The SQUIMP requires proposed developments to “control the post-development peak stormwater runoff discharge rates to maintain or reduce predevelopment downstream erosion and toprotect stream habitat.” The SQUIMP addresses stormwater pollution from new andredevelopment by the private sector and contains guidance for implementing and designingBest Management Practices (BMPs) used to reduce impacts.BMPs can be used for minimizing the introduction of pollutants of concern that may result insignificant impacts to the storm water conveyance system from site runoff. Treatment ControlBMPs are required for eight categories of development. Additional BMPs may be required byordinance or code adopted by the City and applied generally or on a case-by-case basis. TheCity is required to implement the requirements of the SQUIMP, and developers are required tocomply with those provisions.4.8-5City of Ventura