The City is responsible for maintaining adequate stormwater drainage systems. Stormwater drainage systems serve multiple purposes: conveying stormwater and urban runoff downstream; protecting property from flooding during high-flow storm events; protecting water quality by filtering pollutants from urban runoff; and sustaining wildlife. The system also serves to convey urban runoff from development such as irrigated landscape areas, driveways, and streets that flow into drainage facilities and, ultimately, to the Monterey Bay and Pacific Ocean. The City’s stormwater system helps protect water quality, and open channels can support natural resources including wetland habitat. The long-term performance of the entire system is dependent upon ongoing and proper maintenance. The City already has an adopted Storm Drainage Maintenance Plan (SDMP) which describes specific maintenance methods and procedures that guide the City’s annual maintenance activities to ensure the system’s functioning. The SDMP provides detailed methods for maintaining the surface drainage system, which is comprised of drainage channels and Structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as detention basins, which are the responsibility of the City’s Public Works Department. The SDMP is also the City’s manual to guide the performance of authorized activities under permits issued to the City by applicable state and federal agencies with regulatory authority over biological and aquatic resources. These state and federal agencies include the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)/Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and California Coastal Commission (CCC). To that end, the City seeks to develop a Storm Water Master Plan. The Storm Water Master Plan is intended to be a programmatic approach to determining needs, costs, and priorities associated with storm drain improvements for staff to program future Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
