SECTIONS 10560-10564 - California Statutes

WATER CODE

SECTION 10560-10564

10560. This part shall be known and may be cited as "The Stormwater
Resource Planning Act."

10561. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) In many parts of the state stormwater is a source of surface
water and groundwater contamination, contributing to a loss of usable
water supplies, and the pollution and impairment of rivers, lakes,
streams, and coastal waters.
(b) Improved management of stormwater, including, but not limited
to, pollution prevention and source control, can improve water
quality and increase water supplies for beneficial uses and the
environment.
(c) Most of California's current stormwater drainage systems are
designed to capture and convey water away from people and property
rather than capturing that water for beneficial uses.
(d) Historical patterns of precipitation are predicted to change
and an increasing amount of California's water is predicted to fall
not as snow in the mountains, but as rain in other areas of the
state. This will likely have a profound and transforming effect on
California's hydrologic cycle and much of that water will no longer
be captured by California's reservoirs, many of which are located to
capture snow melt.
(e) Stormwater, properly managed, can contribute significantly to
local water supplies through onsite storage and reuse, or letting it
percolate into the ground to recharge groundwater, thereby increasing
available supplies of drinking water.
(f) New developments and redevelopments should be designed to be
consistent with low-impact development principles to improve the
retention, reuse, and percolation of stormwater onsite.
(g) Stormwater can be managed to achieve environmental and
societal benefits such as wetland creation, riverside habitats,
instream flows, and an increase in urban green space.
(h) Stormwater management through multiobjective projects can
achieve additional benefits, including augmenting recreation
opportunities for communities, increased tree canopy, reduced urban
heat island effect, and improved air quality.

10562. (a) A city, county, or special district, either individually
or jointly, may develop a stormwater resource plan pursuant to this
part.
(b) Stormwater resource plans shall:
(1) Be developed on a watershed basis.
(2) Provide for multiple benefit project design to maximize water
supply, water quality, and environmental and other community
benefits.
(3) Provide for community participation in plan development and
implementation.
(4) Be consistent with, and assist in, compliance with total
maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plans and applicable
national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits.
(5) Be consistent with all applicable waste discharge permits.
(6) Be consistent with any applicable integrated regional water
management plan.
(c) The proposed or adopted plan shall meet the standards outlined
in this section. The plan need not be referred to as a "stormwater
resource plan." Existing planning documents may be utilized as a
functionally equivalent plan, including, but not limited to,
watershed management plans, integrated resource plans, urban water
management plans, or similar plans. If a planning document does not
meet the standards of this section, a collection of local and
regional plans may constitute a functional equivalent.
(d) Stormwater resource plans shall identify all of the following:
(1) Opportunities to augment local water supply through
groundwater recharge or storage for beneficial reuse of stormwater.
(2) Opportunities for source control for both pollution and
stormwater runoff volume, onsite and local infiltration, and reuse of
stormwater.
(3) Projects to reestablish natural water drainage treatment and
infiltration systems, or mimic natural system functions to the
maximum extent feasible.
(4) Opportunities to develop or enhance habitat and open space
through stormwater management, including wetlands, riverside
habitats, parkways, and parks.
(5) Design criteria and best management practices to prevent
stormwater pollution and increase effective stormwater management for
new and upgraded infrastructure and residential, commercial,
industrial, and public development. These design criteria and best
management practices shall accomplish all of the following:
(A) Reduce effective impermeability within a watershed by creating
permeable surfaces and directing stormwater to permeable surfaces,
retention basins, cisterns, and other storage for beneficial reuse.
(B) Increase water storage for beneficial use through a variety of
on-site storage techniques.
(C) Increase groundwater supplies through infiltration, where
appropriate and feasible.
(D) Support low-impact development for new and upgraded
infrastructure and development using low-impact techniques.
(6) Activities that generate or contribute to the pollution of
stormwater, or that impair the effective beneficial use of
stormwater.
(7) Projects and programs to ensure the effective implementation
of the stormwater resource plan pursuant to this part and achieve
multiple benefits.
(8) Ordinances or other mechanisms necessary to ensure the
effective implementation of the stormwater resource plan pursuant to
this part.

10563. (a) Nothing in this part interferes with or prevents the
exercise of authority by a public agency to carry out its programs,
projects, or responsibilities.
(b) Nothing in this part affects requirements imposed under any
other provision of law.

10564. For purposes of this part, "low-impact development" means
new development or redevelopment projects that employ natural and
constructed features that reduce the rate of stormwater runoff,
filter out pollutants, facilitate stormwater storage onsite,
infiltrate stormwater into the ground to replenish groundwater
supplies, or improve the quality of receiving groundwater and surface
water.