Business and Industry

The County works with industries and businesses in the Sacramento area to minimize discharges of pollutants into the storm drainage system. Sources of pollutants include accidental and intentional discharges of wastes and materials, as well as stormwater runoff from areas containing exposed pollutants, and activities such as equipment and vehicle washing and pavement cleaning without implementation of appropriate controls. Pollutants can also enter the storm drainage system by way of illegal connections.

Common Pollutants

There are many types of businesses in Sacramento and many of these businesses generate various wastes and other pollutants that can reduce stormwater quality and contribute to the degradation of local waters, if not carefully managed. Restaurants and other facilities that handle food generate grease and other food wastes. If these wastes are not carefully managed they can become a pollutant. Greasy mop water discharged by employees to a storm drain and food waste liquid leaking from a dumpster are two examples. At facilities that are involved with auto repair, automotive fluids such as used antifreeze and engine oil are common problems. These hazardous wastes can be intentionally dumped into the storm drainage system by careless or uninformed employees, or they can be washed into the storm drainage system when rainwater comes in contact with outdoor spills, oily parts that are left outside, and other contaminated surfaces. There are many pollutants commonly associated with other sorts of businesses, as well. Often, the best single step towards preventing stormwater pollution from occurring at businesses is implementation of good housekeeping practices - especially for outdoor areas.

Good Housekeeping can help prevent stormwater pollution

Don't leave open containers of wastes or other materials outside.

Dumpster lids should be kept closed when not in use to keep rain out and uncontained liquids should never be placed in a dumpster - they will leak out.
All Wastes should be contained and managed in a responsible manner that prevents exposure to rainfall or discharge to the storm drainage system.
Shop and restaurant floors should never be hosed out so that the wash water can run outdoors or into a storm drain. Dry cleanup methods should be used as often as possible.
Spills, leaks and other messes that occur should be immediately cleaned with absorbent materials and properly disposed of.
"Dirty, oily, or rusty junk items should not be left outdoors. Consider properly disposing of these items or placing them in covered locations to prevent stormwater contact. At a minimum, these items should be covered with weighted or fastened tarps.
Sweep indoor and outdoors areas as often as necessary to prevent sediment or other wastes that may be generated, from being tracked outdoors or offsite.

Pressure Washing

Pressure washing is an excellent way of removing pollutants from outdoor surfaces. Pressure washing wastewater should never be discharged to a storm drain, however! Storm drains should be covered, or the path to the drain should be blocked during pressure washing. With the property owner's permission, the collected wastewater can then be pumped into a sanitary sewer clean out, or, in some instances, discharged to a landscaped area, provided that the discharge does not overflow the landscaped area, contain hazardous constituents, or create nuisance conditions. Sump pumps and wet/dry shop vacuums can be used to pump the wastewater. See our Pressure Washing BMP booklet, for more details.

Best Management Practices (BMPs)

BMPs are measures that reduce or eliminate pollutant discharges. BMPs may be physical devices (structural BMPs) such as storm drain filters or a roof over a waste storage area, or it can be behavioral, such as initiating a policy of sweeping up debris outdoors on a daily basis. Some typical BMPs are:

Installation and maintenance of on-site storm drain protection.
Keeping outdoor areas swept and clean.
Covering or tarping oily, dirty items that must be stored outdoors.
Moving waste oil storage indoors or placing it under permanent coverage.
Providing secondary containment for stored fluids.
Covering outdoor dumpsters, tallow bins, etc.
Properly disposing of pressure washing discharges (see pressure washing).
Cleaning spills promptly with dry methods (as opposed to hosing spills into a storm drain).

The Storm Drainage System

County crews clean up pollutant discharges to the storm drain system. When identified, the responsible party will be fined and charged for the cost of this work.

The storm drainage system prevents flooding by allowing developed areas to drain into local waterways. This system includes storm drains located in the public right of way, as well as those on private property (because they convey drainage to the County system), underground pipes, roadside drainage ditches, roadside gutter pans, drainage channels, creeks, streams, and any man made or natural structure that conducts storm drainage. The storm drainage system is different from the sanitary sewer system that conducts sewage to the treatment plant.

No Dumping — Flows to the River

Unlike discharges to the sanitary sewer system which receives treatment, storm drainage receives no treatment for pollutant removal. Pollutants discharged to the storm drainage system flow directly into our local waterways. Oil and grease, food waste, paint, concrete, chemicals, even dirt, must be prevented from getting into the storm drainage system, and local waters.

Stormwater Runoff

Repair leaky equipment and clean spills with absorbent materials.

When pollutants are exposed to rainfall, they can be washed into the storm drainage system and local waters. Some examples are oily engine blocks or leaky waste oil containers that are left outdoors; food waste on the ground around a dumpster; sediment; liquids or powdery materials that are tracked outdoors by forklifts and other vehicles from an indoor process area, and even leaky vehicles, equipment, compressors, etc. These materials and wastes can be washed into the storm drainage system and local waters by rainfall, sprinklers that run too long, employees hosing off, or pressure washing paved areas, and other sources of runoff.

Stormwater Ordinance

Sacramento County Code Chapter 15.12 (County Stormwater Ordinance) section 100, prohibits non-stormwater discharges to the County's storm drainage system and local waters. This means that only stormwater and 18 exempted non-stormwater type discharges that are specified in the ordinance, may be discharged into the storm drainage system by businesses and other dischargers. Examples of the 18 exemptions are:

Discharges from potable water sources.
Landscape irrigation overflows.
Individual, residential vehicle washing discharges (commercial vehicle washing discharges are not allowed).

Refer to Article 2, in the County's stormwater ordinance, for more information.

Violations and Fines

Make every effort to prevent spills. When they do occur, clean them up immediately with absorbent materials. Never wash spills into a storm drain.

The County Stormwater Ordinance provides for fines of up to $5000 per violation, for polluting the County storm drainage system and local waters, but the County prefers education to fines. Except in cases of intentional discharges, continued violations and extreme negligence, when the County discovers a business or other discharger that is causing pollutants to be discharged to the storm drainage system, staff typically will issue a violation notice which requires the business to immediately cease the pollutant discharge and/or address the conditions that led to the discharge. If the requirements of the violation notice are not met, the County will typically issue a fine.

The County will also issue a violation notice when it discovers a business or property owner that is maintaining conditions that are likely to result in pollutant discharges to the storm drainage system. In addition to fines, the County will go to a business or property owner to recover costs incurred by the County cleaning up spills and pollutant discharges from the business or property owners activities, when the responsible party can be identified.

According to section 440 of the stormwater ordinance, a fine or violation notice may be appealed and heard by a hearing officer by submitting a written request for an administrative appeal hearing within 30 days of receipt, to the agency that issued the fine or notice. A fee must be paid in advance which is returned to the appellant if the appeal is upheld by the hearing officer.

Inspections

Historically, the County has conducted stormwater compliance inspections of businesses in response to complaints or when pollutant discharges are discovered by County staff. As of July 1, 2004, however, the County is required by the State of California to conduct regular stormwater compliance inspections at the following nine types of businesses:

Auto repair shops
Auto body shops
Auto dealerships
Gas stations
Restaurants
Nurseries
Kennels
Equipment rental businesses
Facilities that require coverage under the State's General Industrial Stormwater Permit.

Inspections will be conducted once every three years at each business within the County that falls into one of these categories. In order to minimize the cost and inconvenience to businesses, whenever possible, stormwater compliance inspections will be conducted in conjunction with existing program inspections such as health inspections at restaurants and hazardous materials inspections at other businesses. For more information, look at our industrial inspection page.

Inspection fees are as follows:

Type of facility	Inspection fee
Restaurant	$75/yr
Auto body shop Auto dealer Auto repair Nursery Kennel Equipment rental Retail gasoline outlet	$99/yr
General Permit facilities under 10 acres	$149/yr
General Permit facilities 10 acres and above	$199/yr

De-listing

If, during a required industrial stormwater compliance inspection, County staff determines that a given facility has no potential stormwater exposure whatsoever to process, storage, waste storage, equipment, and shipping and receiving activities, the facility will be "de-listed" and receive no further inspections. This will typically require that all activities at a facility are conducted indoors, or under permanent coverage. If a business conducts manufacturing indoors but stores materials, product, or wastes outdoors, for example, it will most likely not qualify for de-listing.

General Industrial Stormwater Permit

The State of California requires businesses that conduct activities that fall under certain SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) codes to gain coverage under a general statewide industrial stormwater permit. SIC codes that typically require permit coverage are associated with activities such as:

Manufacturing
Mining
Recycling
Salvage
Auto dismantling
Transportation, if on-site maintenance is conducted
Hazardous waste storage, treatment, or disposal
Cement production

The state of California requires that these facilities file a Notice of Intent (NOI), which is an application for permit coverage, and develop a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), as well as conduct monitoring and sampling to determine if pollutants are leaving the facility in stormwater runoff. Certain facilities which can demonstrate that they have no stormwater exposure to their process and related activities can be exempted from the requirement for permit coverage. You may contact the State's Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Region office at (916) 464-3291, for more information.

Notice of Intent (NOI)

In order to Apply for General Industrial Stormwater Permit coverage you must fill out and submit the form to:

State Water Resources Control Board
Division of Water Quality
P.O. Box 1977
Sacramento, CA 95812-1977
Attn: Stormwater Permitting Unit

Your application must also contain a site map of your facility. The map may be hand drawn but it must be drawn to scale and it must identify all areas of your facility.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)

A SWPPP is a document that must be developed by operators for facilities that are subject to the General Industrial Stormwater Permit. The SWPPP identifies pollutants that are generated at a facility and identifies measures for controlling those pollutants. The SWPPP also addresses issues such as stormwater pollution awareness training for staff, pollutant monitoring, and other items. The California Stormwater Quality Association model SWPPP has an example of what a SWPPP should contain.

Clean Water Business Partner Program

The County and City of Sacramento have established the Clean Water Business Partner Program to outreach to businesses in the Sacramento area that may be contributing to stormwater pollution. Currently, the focus is on mobile carpet cleaners, pressure washers and landscape contractors, but we will continue to add other businesses as needed. The CWBP Program emphasizes education, awareness and voluntary action, rather than regulation. The Program takes a positive approach by providing incentives to businesses to become partners in pollution prevention. Business partners benefit by promotion and advertising of their business by the County and City. Call (916) 808-1726 for more information.

Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC)

BERC provides free and confidential permitting and environmental compliance assistance to Sacramento area businesses. Contact them at (916) 649-0225, or check out their website at www.sacberc.org.

Informational materials

now available in PDF format:

Painting without Polluting

Concrete and Creeks Don't Mix