County approves Santa Margarita storm water permit implementation pact

Each of California's Regional Water Quality Control Board regions is based on hydrologic boundaries rather than on county boundaries, so the San Diego Region includes portions of Orange County and Riverside County. This forces jurisdictions to coordinate with each other while providing the convenience of a joint effort on specific bodies of water.

The effort to produce a Water Quality Improvement Plan for the Santa Margarita River Watershed involves local agencies in both San Diego County and Riverside County. An implementation agreement between the County of San Diego and the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, whose board members are the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, was brought before the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 19 and passed on a 5-0 vote.

"The Santa Margarita River Watershed is a vital regional resource and requires the highest water quality conditions possible," said supervisor Bill Horn.

The Santa Margarita River Watershed encompasses approximately 750 square miles. It is formed at the confluence of the Temecula and Murrieta Creek systems. Approximately 27 percent of the total area is within San Diego County and the river flows within San Diego County through Fallbrook and Camp Pendleton before terminating at the Pacific Ocean.

Prior to a November 2015 Regional Water Quality Control Board permit consolidation, San Diego County and southern Riverside County were regulated under separate municipal storm water permits. The permit for San Diego County also included southern Orange County, and the November 2015 amendment added the cities of Murrieta, Temecula, and Wildomar, the County of Riverside, and the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

The amended storm water permit added a requirement that the County of San Diego and the Riverside County agencies collaborate to develop and implement a Water Quality Improvement Plan for the Santa Margarita River Watershed. Each agency will develop strategies to address the priorities and to meet numeric water quality improvement goals within a proposed time schedule.

The implementation agreement recognizes the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District as the principal permittee responsible for coordinating the efforts of the multiple agencies involved, and the agreement formalizes the responsibilities of each agency in developing the Water Quality Improvement Plan. The implementation agreement also outlines how the costs to develop the plan will be shared among the agencies.

"The board identified multiple agencies and their specific role in a Water Quality Improvement Plan," said Horn.

The County of San Diego responsibilities include participating and collaborating in coordination and public meetings, providing applicable information and data related to the watershed, developing strategies and goals along with time schedules for the San Diego County portion of the watershed, and participating in the development of required special studies. The county will be responsible only for the costs to develop the portion of the plan within its jurisdiction, including the expenses of staff time and consultants, but will not make any monetary payments to other agencies participating in the agreement.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors designated the director of the county's Department of Public Works or his designee to execute the implementation agreement and to execute amendments or extensions to the agreement. The action also included authorizing the directors of the Department of Public Works, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures to apply for state or Federal grant funds to support the implementation and to accept any grants which are awarded.