Memorandum
Date: May 4, 2022
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Marina Deligiannis, Deputy Water Resources Department Director
Angela De Palma-Dow and Daniella Cazares, Program Coordinators, Water Resources
Subject: Presentation of the Current Status and Next Steps of the Lake County Clean Water Program and Storm Water Management in Lake County.
Executive Summary:
The City of Lakeport, the City of Clearlake, and the County of Lake (hereinafter referred to as "co-permittees") joined planning, collaboration, and implementation efforts to establish a Lake County Clean Water Program (LCCWP). The purpose of the LCCWP is to collectively fulfill the requirements set forth by the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) MS4 Phase II general permit. Sometime this requires the co-permittees to collectively make decisions, recommend management actions, budget or funding actions that can achieve compliance with the NPDES permit and improve storm water management within Lake County. Therefore, the Clean Water Program Management Program (Formerly the Storm Water Advisory Committee) was created to coincide with the NPDES permit and adjacent storm water management.
Storm Water (also "stormwater") is defined as the runoff generated from rain and snowmelt events that flow over land or impervious, hardened surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and therefore does not soak into the ground. As the runoff flows over surfaces, it picks up pollutants like trash, chemicals, oils, and dirt/sediment that can harm our creeks, rivers, streams, and lakes waters. Clear Lake, one that is over enriched with nutrients and suffers from frequently severe cyanobacterial blooms, has been identified as being driven to this condition by storm water inputs, both from the natural and build environment.
One way to improve water quality, is through smart storm water planning, implementation, and management. In addition, prope...
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