Ocean Water Quality/Surface Runoff

Residents of Dana Point value living in a coastal community where the ocean is at the heart of their quality of life. Our economy, health, and identity are interdependent with our water resources. Clean ocean, beach and creek water quality continues to be a priority in the City’s Strategic Plan. The City of Dana Point has a proven record of being a progressive leader in developing innovative solutions to protect and improve water quality.

REPORT WATER QUALITY VIOLATIONS, INCLUDING IRRIGATION/SPRINKER RUNOFF AND POLLUTANT DISCHARGES:

During Office Hours

Code Enforcement
 949-248-3564
Report to DP

Lisa Zawaski
 949-248-3584
lzawaski@danapoint.org

After Hours

Report to DP App
 Report to DP

Orange County Water Pollution Hotline (24- hour) 
1-877-89-SPILL (1-877-89-77455)  

Non-Emergency Police Dispatch
949-770-6011
Orange County Sheriff Dept

 

                

REGULATIONS:

Construction Project Regulations

In order to keep our beaches clean, construction management practices, to prevent pollutant runoff, are necessary.  The City has published minimum Best Management Practices (BMP) for all construction projects, as required per the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

Construction BMPs(PDF, 3MB)

More brochures are available to help you conduct common construction activities in compliance with the regulations through the H2OC Stormwater Program here: Construction Activities | OC Watersheds California Please note that illegal discharges are subject to enforcement actions, including fines.

Routine construction BMP inspections will be conducted at all construction sites within the City. Inadequate, ineffective and unmaintained BMPs and/or prohibited discharges from any construction site will result in enforcement actions that may include a Notice of Noncompliance, Stop Work Order and/or Fines.

RUNOFF THREAT ASSESSMENT FORM

Specific minimum BMP Requirements are designated for all encroachment, grading (rough and precise) and improvement projects.

Upon application submittal, each project applicant completes the Runoff Threat Assessment Form(PDF, 145KB) in order to determine the priority of the project (High, Medium or Low). The priority, along with activities proposed for the project, will determine the designated minimum BMPs for the project.

Based on the priority and proposed activities, the applicant shall prepare a BMP REPORT based on the BMP Report Template(PDF, 119KB). The project applicant is required to retain a copy of the report at the site and effectively implement the BMPs, as required in the BMP REPORT. City inspectors will conduct routine inspections to ensure BMP compliance. Any deficiencies may result in a Notice of Noncompliance, Stop Work Order or Fines.

Construction BMP Fact Sheets are available at the Orange County Public Works website: OC Environmental Resources

STATE GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PERMIT

Every construction project that disturbs more than one (1) acre of land is required to obtain coverage under the State General Construction Permit. The project applicant is required to submit to the State a Notice of Intent (NOI) to receive a Waste Discharge Identification Number (WDID). The project applicant is also required to prepare and implement a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP).

As part of the application process, the applicant provides documentation of the State NOI submittal and/or WDID to the City prior to receiving any Permits.

GUIDANCE MANUALS

Water Quality Regulations for Development Projects

Water Quality regulations for Priority Projects include Low Impact Design (LID) on-site retention requirements and Hydromodification Management measures which can be significant elements in the site design of your project and therefore it is crucial that they be considered early in the design process.

Please see Section 7 of the Dana Point Water Quality Local Implementation Plan (LIP)(PDF, 1MB) for the water quality requirements for Development 

City of Dana Point BMP Design Manual Cover Letter(PDF, 261KB)

The City encourages all applicants to contact Lisa Zawaski, Senior Water Quality Engineer at (949) 248-3584 or by email at lzawaski@danapoint.org, to discuss the water quality requirements for your project early in the planning phase to ensure that your design will meet applicable requirements.

All development/redevelopment projects, regardless of priority, shall implement the site design and source control principles, where applicable and feasible, to maximize infiltration, provide retention, slow runoff, and reduce pollutants at the sources.  The Non-Priority Project Water Quality Checklist(PDF, 168KB) will be required as part of the grading plan submittal.

All priority projects shall meet Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) and Hydromodification Management Plan (HMP) requirements as described in the documents and tools below.  The project's WQMP is a plan for minimizing the adverse effects of urbanization on site hydrology, runoff flow rates and pollutant loads.  Hydromodification management measures address the changes in the magnitude and frequency of stream flows and associated sediment load due to urbanization or other changes in the watershed land use and hydrology and the resulting impacts on receiving channels, such as erosion, sedimentation and potentially degradation of in-stream habitat.

To determine if your project is a Priority Development Project and requires a WQMP, use the Priority Development Project Criteria List(PDF, 238KB).

Note:  The Preliminary WQMP (pWQMP) is required as part of the Project Application.  An application will not be deemed complete without a pWQMP.  It should be noted that the pWQMP is not a "conceptual" document in the normal sense of the word and requires detailed engineering sizing calculations and location details for selected BMPs.

The following updated documents and tools will assist you in preparing an acceptable Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP), including appropriate hydromodification management measures, for your project.  Please note that these are the current documents, dated September 28, 2017. Please disregard previous literature.

Documents and Tools for WQMP/HMP Preparation:

  • Technical Guidance Document(PDF, 49MB) for South Orange County, dated September 28, 2017.  This document is the technical resources companion to the Model WQMP and the WQMP Template and is the "how" to meet the requirements in the Model WQMP and how to use the WQMP Template to prepare your project's WQMP.  This document is bookmarked and internally linked for easy navigation.
  • WQMP Template(DOCX, 104KB), dated September 28, 2017.  This WQMP template is the framework for preparing your project's WQMP.  The use of this template is highly encouraged and will facilitate acceptable preparation and City' review and approval of your project's WQMP.s
  • Dana Point O&M Plan Template(DOCX, 123KB), dated September 28, 2017.  This O&M Plan template will help you prepare an acceptable O&M Plan as part of the Final WQMP.  Please note that the O&M will be a separate, stand-alone, user-friendly document and includes a BMP site plan.
  • Worksheets from the TGD.  The below worksheets are identical to those contained in the TGD, however they are available in editable MS Word so that they can be created for your project and included in your project's WQMP.
  • Hydromodification Exemption Map(PDF, 346KB) - To see if your project may be subject to hydromodification management controls per the Hydromodification Management Plan (HMP), please refer to this map. Note that this map is for use as a planning tool only and your will need to evaluate the project site details to confirm the applicability of hydromodification management requirements.

BMP's for Residents

Pollution Prevention for Residents

BMP's for Businesses

Pollution Prevention for Businesses

Water Quality Plans

South OC Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP)
City of Dana Point Local Implementation Plan (LIP)(PDF, 27MB)

                   

Links to outside organizations:

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