San Bernardino County Stormwater Resource Plan

Project Scope

CWE prepared a Stormwater Resource Plan (SWRP) for the Santa Ana River Watershed portion of San Bernardino County.  This was based on the SWRP Guidelines developed by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and in compliance with grant agreement terms.  CWE prepared a grant application for the San Bernardino Flood Control District (SBCFCD), which resulted in an award of $475,000 to develop an SWRP through the Proposition 1 Planning Grant Program.

The SWRP provides water quality data assessment which reviewed existing and developed new tools and models.  This was done to quantitatively assess projects with a goal of achieving water quality objectives.  Assessment and prioritization of projects providing multiple benefits is a key component of the plan.  These stacking benefits include elements such as water quality, water supply, flood management, environmental, and community benefits.  The plan implements monitoring to support future implementation and an implementation schedule while also identifying public and stakeholder involvement.

CWE provided project management and established a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).  The team performed data collection, watershed identification and developed the SWRP. For education and support, CWE facilitated stakeholder/public outreach and education.

Identifying the watershed scope and characteristics was done by studying the land use and soil types.  The rainfall depths and runoff patterns were also studied to generate a full understanding of the existing site.  Water quality priorities were established to guide and set implementation goals.  This led to setting priorities for potential water-related projects.  Metrics-based analyses helped quantify the benefits each project would provide.  Several key analysis methods went into the metrics.  This included pollutant mass balances, forecasting calculations and solution modeling.

A large part of the project scope involved education and outreach.  Because awareness is such an important part of project success, CWE generated materials for both internal training and external outreach use.  These materials were then distributed during coordinated stakeholder and public outreach events.

Details

Client:

San Bernardino Co. Flood Control District

Start Date:

January 2017

End Date:

January 2019

Sitework

  • Watershed scope and characteristics
    • land use
    • soil types
    • rainfall depths
    • runoff patterns
  • Water quality priorities
  • Identifying and prioritizing potential water-related projects
  • Metrics-based analyses to quantify project benefits
    • Modeling
    • Calculations
    • Pollutant mass balances
    • Other analysis methods
  • Education and outreach materials
  • Stakeholder/public outreach and education events