In Contra Costa, public streets and sidewalks are connected directly to water habitats through a system of storm drains, pipes, ditches and channels. These municipal stormwater systems convey runoff that may result after rain events into local creeks, bays and/or deltas without any treatment. Unfortunately, if municipal, industrial and construction activities are not properly managed, then stormwater systems can also bring trash, chemicals, sediment, and other pollutants to local water bodies.
In the 1970s, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Permit program was created to prevent stormwater runoff from polluting surface waters. The NPDES requires public agencies to obtain a permit before discharging untreated stormwater into waterways.
The Contra Costa Clean Water Program’s (CCCWP’s) 21 agencies are Permittees in the Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit (PDF) (MRP) issued by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board for the San Francisco Bay Region (RWQCB). This means that each Contra Costa Permittee must prohibit the discharge of anything other than rain into its jurisdiction’s stormwater system.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board has adopted the third reissuance of the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, or MRP 3.0, which is now two documents (2022 and amended in 2023). This reissuance includes significant changes and additional requirements in certain provisions, which are noted in the “Additional Notes” column and webpages linked below.
The MRP related resources referenced throughout this site may be updated periodically to reflect any new permit requirements.
MRP 3.0 Provisions C.2 through C.22 include requirements for one-time and ongoing activities that Permittees must implement over the course of the Permit term, which began July 1, 2022 and extends to June 30, 2027. The table below shows some key Permit provisions and links to pages on this website that describe Program activities to assist Permittees with implementing the provision.
| Permit Provision | Provision Title | Relevant Pages on cccleanwater.org | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.2 | Municipal Operations | Municipal Operations | New requirements for Corporation Yard SWPPPs, Best Management Practices (BMPs), and Trainings (C.2.f., C.2.h.) |
| C.3 | New Development and Redevelopment | C.3 Requirements: Development / Infrastructure C.3 Requirements New in MRP 3.0 C.3 Guidebook | New requirements that affect developers and planners, including thresholds for Regulated Projects, for which Low Impact Development (LID) source control and other design/treatment measures are required (C.3.b.). |
| C.3.j. | Green Infrastructure Planning and Implementation | Green Infrastructure | |
| C.4 | Industrial and Commercial Site Controls | Business Inspections | New requirements for Industrial and Commercial Business Inspection Plans (C.4.b.) |
| C.5 | Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) | Report Illegal Dumping and Spills Illicit Discharges | New requirements for legal authority, spill response program, mobile sources, tracking, Enforcement Response Plans (ERP), and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) maps (C.5.a.-f.) |
| C.5.e. | Control of Mobile Sources | Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) Brochures | Inventories must be updated at least annually. |
| C.6 | Construction Site Control | Requirements for Construction | |
| C.7 | Public Information and Outreach | Residents/Community | |
| C.7.e | Watershed Stewardship Collaborative Efforts | Volunteer | |
| C.7.f. | School-Age Children Outreach | Schools | |
| C.8 | Water Quality Monitoring | Monitoring/Assessment | |
| C.8.d. | Creek Status Monitoring | Creek Status | |
| C.8.f. | Pollutants of Concern | Pollutants of Concern | |
| C.9 | Pesticides Toxicity Control | Yards, Gardens, and Pets Pesticides | |
| C.10 | Trash Load Reduction | Trash/Litter Stormwater BMPs Brochures | |
| C.11 | Mercury Controls | Pollutants of Concern Additional Info On Mercury Contamination | |
| C.12 | Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Controls | Pollutants of Concern Additional Info On PCBs | |
| C.13 | Copper (Cu) Controls | Copper | |
| C.14 | Bacteria Control for Impaired Water Bodies | N/A (not relevant to CCCWP) | |
| C.15 | Exempted and Conditionally Exempted Discharges | ||
| C.15.v. | Discharge Type – Swimming Pool, Hot Tub, Spa, and Fountain Water Discharges | Stormwater BMPs Brochures | |
| C.16 | Areas of Special Biological Significance | N/A (not relevant to CCCWP) | |
| C.17 | Discharges Associated with Unsheltered Populations and Homelessness | If you are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Contra Costa, Call 211, Text “HOPE” to 20121, or visit 211cc.org for resources, information, and free, confidential services available 24/7 New Provision! Note for Permittees: Unsheltered homelessness is also part of Direct Discharge Control Plan requirements (C.10.f.ii.) | |
| C.18 | Control of Sediment Discharges in Coastal San Mateo | N/A (not relevant to CCCWP) | |
| C.19 | East Contra Costa County | Relevant to eastern Contra Costa municipalities (Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Unincorporated County, CCCFCWCD) | |
| C.20 | Cost Reporting | ||
| C.21 | Asset Management | New Provision! | |
| C.22 | Annual Reporting | Annual Reports of each Fiscal Year (July 1 through June 30) must be submitted to the Water Board by September 30. |
| Report Spills/Illegal Dumping
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