Stormwater Management

The California High-Speed Rail Authority Stormwater Management Program complies with the NPDES Water Quality Order NO. 2013-0001-DWQ and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit No. CAS000004. The Authority qualifies as a non-traditional permittee under this order.

• Construction General Permit
• Phase II Municipal Permit
• Caltrans NPDES Permit

PROTECT EVERY DROP

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is proud to partner with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on the Protect Every Drop campaign. We strive to educate Californians about stormwater pollution and to help the public learn how to reduce pollution throughout the state. Our water is precious — Protect Every Drop!

HELP PREVENT POLLUTION

Stormwater runoff comes from roof surfaces, gutter downspouts, yard runoff, and gutter and street runoff that travels to storm drain inlets in the street. Stormwater runoff ends up in local creeks, streams, lakes, rivers, and/or the ocean upon existing storm drain outlets.

High-speed rail construction projects follow the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Construction General Permit (Order 2009-00009-DWQ). All projects are required to file all project registration documents, fees, and permit requirements through the SWRCB Storm Water Multiple Application and Report Tracking System (SMARTS). Each project phase includes approved Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans written by the design builders that are uploaded to SMARTS.

There are currently three active Authority projects in the SWRCB SMARTS system with active Waste Discharge Identification Numbers (WDID). Detailed information and compliance reporting is included on the SMARTS website.

• Construction Package 1 (CP 1), WDID# 5F20C369876: The CP 1 construction area is a 32-mile stretch between Avenue 19 in Madera County to East American Avenue in Fresno County.
• Construction Package 2-3 (CP-2-3), WDID# 5F16C375735-469820: The CP 2-3 construction area extends approximately 60 miles from the terminus of Construction Package 1 at East American Avenue in Fresno to one mile north of the Tulare-Kern County line.
• Construction Package 4 (CP 4), WDID#5F15C377556: The CP 4 construction area is a 22-mile stretch bounded by a point approximately one mile north of the Tulare/Kern County Line at the terminus of Construction Package 2-3 and Poplar Avenue to the south.

Learn more about these construction packages and projects on BuildHSR.com.

CONSTRUCTION GUIDANCE

The following resources include useful information to help construction contractors comply with SWRCB construction permit and portions of the municipal permit.

• State Water Resources Control Board
• Caltrans Construction Guidance
• CASQA Manuals

The California High-Speed Rail Authority developed a stormwater management plan technical report in September 2014 to meet requirements for the waste discharge requirements for the Phase II permit application. The stormwater management plan describes how the California High-Speed Rail Authority will follow the Caltrans Stormwater Project Planning Design Guide (PPDG), Caltrans Highway Design Manual, and environmental documents for each construction segment.

• Project Planning Design Guide
• Highway Design Manual

MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is currently designing and building its facilities. The operations and maintenance plans are currently being developed concurrently.

FACILITIES OPERATIONS STATIONS

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is currently developing its facility designs and operations, which include site design Best Management Practices to prevent stormwater pollution.

• The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Water Quality Order No. 2013-0001-DWQ National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit No. CAS 000004
• Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs) for Storm Water Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s)(General permit)