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Tuolumne County’s alleged violations of stormwater permit requirements due to sediment discharges have been settled with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board). Tuolumne County has agreed to pay $131,464 and to comply with the permit requirements to ensure that any additional environmental damage is halted.
The allegations of permit violations stem from the county’s failure to comply with the requirements to protect local water quality and the environment after they enrolled their Sonora Jail Access Road construction project in the statewide General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Construction and Land Disturbance Activities. At issue is the discharge of sediment-laden runoff.
Water Board staff inspected the site on Dec. 8, 2016, and found that the 5-acre site was not prepared for precipitation during the current rain event and there were no erosion control measures installed. Staff witnessed sediment-laden runoff flowing directly into Sutter Creek. Staff re-inspected the site on Dec. 15, 2016, during another rain event, and again found a lack of sediment and erosion control. Both times the sediment-laden water was flowing into Sullivan Creek.
Sediment discharges can cloud the receiving water, reducing the amount of much-needed sunlight reaching aquatic plants. Sediment discharges can also clog fish gills, smother aquatic habitat and spawning areas, and transport other materials such as nutrients, metals, and oil and grease, which can negatively impact aquatic life and habitat.
Tuolumne County and the Water Board were able to reach a settlement using a streamlined process allowing the county to quickly resolve the alleged violations that threatened Sullivan Creek, a tributary of Don Pedro Reservoir.
“We take these violations very seriously and we want construction sites across the Central Valley to know we are investigating complaints and taking action to stop further environmental damage,” said Andrew Altevogt, assistant executive officer for the Regional Water Board. “We initiated this fast track approach after Tuolumne County, or its contractors, made a conscious decision not to comply with the basic requirements for the protection of surface waters from their construction activities.”
Owners of any construction site greater than one acre must enroll in the General Permit for Storm Water Discharges Associated with Construction and Land Disturbance Activities. The permit requires among other specifications that owners hire a “storm water professional” to design and install an effective combination of erosion and sediment controls to preclude discharges of sediment-laden stormwater.
As a state agency, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is responsible for the preservation and enhancement of water quality in the Central Valley region for the benefit of present and future generations. This mission is implemented by formulating and adopting water quality plans for specific ground or surface water basins and by prescribing and enforcing requirements on all agricultural, domestic and industrial waste discharges.
