Water Quality / NPDES

The City of Yorba Linda implements a comprehensive storm water program as required by the Federal Clean Water Act amendments of 1987. The program is designed to regulate discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and to regulate quality standards for surface waters. 

The overall goal of the Act is to reduce urban generated pollutants that enter the storm drain system and minimize potential water quality impacts to nearby creeks, channels, and rivers.

Storm Water Permit

The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) issued the first National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) municipal storm water permit to the City on July 13, 1990 and the latest (fourth term) permit was issued on May 22, 2009 Order Number R8-2009-0030 (PDF).

Countywide Policy

The City's program is based on the countywide policy documents known as the Drainage Area Management Plan (DAMP). The primary focus of the DAMP is addressing the impacts of urban runoff on water quality. Urbanization creates rooftops, driveways, roads, and parking lots which increase the imperviousness of the land and provides a source of pollutants that are flushed or leached by rainfall runoff into waterways. The potential environmental consequences of these impacts are loss or impairment of the aquatic beneficial uses of streams, rivers, creeks, and coastal waters.