City of Anaheim Water Quality Credit Trading Program Public Review
New, Flexible Program for Meeting Urban Area Stormwater Runoff Capture Permit Requirements
The City of Anaheim is developing a water quality credit trading program, which would apply to new public works projects built by the City. Under review by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Board, the program, if approved, would allow the city to create and apply water quality credits for City-owned new development projects as a means of complying with the North Orange County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit for stormwater runoff. All public or private development projects greater than 5,000 square feet must obtain MS4 permit coverage.
Water quality credit trading programs are designed to improve watershed-scale water quality by building neighborhood and regional-scale stormwater capture projects that treat runoff from a much larger area than just the new project development footprint. Development projects using water quality credits still have to install minimum hydrologic source controls to reduce runoff volume but offset a portion of their volume management obligation by participating in the program. Eventually, if the City program is approved and operational, new private sector development projects may be accepted for inclusion into the program.
CICWQ supports the City in its efforts to create a water quality credit trading program. Since 2015, CICWQ has been working with Orange County Public Works to assist the County in developing a county-wide water quality credit trading program, similar in many ways to Anaheim’s approach and also including robust participation from the private sector.
