Posted by Alex Smith on August 28, 2000 at 14:15:43:California Runs with Runoff Plan (8/14/2000 issue)
By Paul Rosta
With the blessing of federal agencies already in hand, California is about to formally launch a $14-billion plan to control surface runoff into coastal waters–the most comprehensive state blueprint of its kind yet designed.
Much of the proposed 15-year anti-runoff plan appears likely to affect construction in the state for decades to come–either by requiring a wide range of engineered solutions and new infrastructure, or by mandating controls on new development. With an array of 61 proposed measures to be administered by 20 state agencies, California's plan will create "a tremendous opportunity for innovative contractors and engineers," claims Stanley Young, a spokesman for the state Resources Agency, which developed the plan along with the state Water Resources Control Board.
Approved last month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, California's plan is the first to combine control measures for both inland and coastal runoff sources "into a coherent and unified approach to preventing pollution," says Young. Compared to controlling discharges from stationary "point" sources, nonpoint source control is "ultimately a tougher [problem] because we're not going after power stations and specific factories."
Winston Hickox, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, calls surface runoff the "leading cause of water quality degradation in both California and the nation." The state's long coastline and geographic diversity makes it the equivalent of "a lot of other states combined," says John Ong, chief of EPA's northern California water division.
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