Sierra Vista Park

A Guide for Construction Contractors
When rain or water flows over our streets, driveways, yards, and parking lots, it carries pollutants into our City's storm drains - pollutants like motor oil, pesticides, detergents, antifreeze, paints, grass clippings, and pet waste. In most places, whatever goes down into storm drains flows directly, without treatment, into the nearest local retention basin. Like many cities, a number of Santa Maria's retention basins double as athletic fields. Our children and families use these multi-purpose retention basins (MPRBs) as fields for soccer and other activities. Typical examples of MPRBs in Santa Maria are Simas, Minami, and Adam Parks.

Santa Maria MPRBs are in danger of being polluted. Anything that enters storm drains that flow to retention basins ends up in a MPRB.

What's causing the pollution?
Materials, such as liquids and trash, that are poured, spilled, or dumped on streets, alleys, and gutters enter the storm drains. From there, the wastes flow into MPRBs without treatment.
Are your construction practices sending pollution into Santa Maria MPRBs?
Even the most careful, conscientious business can create pollution. Storm water runoff from construction sites contributes to urban runoff pollution. Dirt, construction materials, vehicle fluids, trash, and animal waste are just some of the pollutants that find their way into the storm drain system. As responsible members of our community, we know it's up to all of us to do everything possible to protect Santa Maria and our environment for future generations. By using good site management methods, you can help prevent pollution in our MPRBs. Common sense measures can be implemented with little effort and at a reasonable cost to both the contractor and tradesperson.

Construction
Keep all stored or scrap materials such as soil, sand, base rock, metal, wood, or paper from entering the storm drain system. Keep separate and recycle when possible.

Do not work or store materials in the streets, sidewalks, or areas exposed to rain or run off. If work must be done outside, construct a separate, bermed area that does not drain into a storm drain.
Protect all storm drain inlets using berms, gravel bags, screens, or filter fabric cloth or other best management practices to prevent sediments from entering the storm drainage system during construction activities and rains.

Schedule clearing and grubbing or heavy earth moving activities for periods of dry weather. Cover exposed piles of soil, construction materials, and waste with plastic sheeting.

Use terracing, erosion control blankets, rip rap, fiber rolls (wattles), gravel bags, rocks, straw bales, slit fences, or vegetation to reduce runoff velocity and to trap sediments. Before it rains, sweep and remove materials from surfaces that drain to inlets.

Prevent soil erosion. Place straw, hay bales, silt fences, jute netting, or vegetation on all exposed ground immediately after grading operations are completed.

Construct temporary drainage swales in order to contain drainage flows. Warn workers not to drive over fiber rolls. Place plastic under leaking engines and equipment.

When saw cutting asphalt or concrete, a vacuum or other effective capture and containment system must be used to collect all of the water and sediments.

When a project is completed, pick up and sweep dirt and debris from all work areas including streets, side walks, and alleys. Do not wash down work areas, tools, and equipment on surfaces that drain to the storm drains.

Clean all vehicle and equipment tires and undercarriages to remove any mud and debris onsite and prevent tracking onto the street. Provide controlled points of entry onto a construction site with rumble plates, clean gravel, or a wash basin to clean vehicles leaving the site.

Wash down should be performed in conjunction with street sweeping and Best Management Practices to protect storm drain inlets.

Waste Management
Store materials in enclosed or covered areas.
Keep covers on all trash cans and dumpsters.
Keep the area around your trash receptacles free of debris.
Keep trash receptacles in a covered area to prevent wind or rain from getting into the trash.
Prevent liquids from leaking out of the trash area and entering the storm drain system.
Maximize trash cans to prevent littering.
Waste being held for recycling or disposal should be held separately and covered.
Practice source reduction: reduce waste by ordering only the amount you need to finish the job.

Recycle leftover materials whenever possible.
Materials such as concrete, asphalt, scrap metal, cleared vegetation, paper, rock, and tires are recyclable.
Construction materials are taken in at the City of Santa Maria Landfill at a cost.
Be sure that trailers carrying your materials are covered during transit. Solvents, degreasers and vehicle maintenance materials, such as used oil, antifreeze and batteries are not disposable at the City landfill. These hazardous materials must go to an appropriate hazardous material handler for recycling.

Oil and Solvents
Keep vehicles and equipment in good working order to prevent leaks. Refuel vehicles and heavy equipment in one designated location on the site and take care to clean up spills immediately.
Recycle motor oil and solvents.
Routinely check equipment to wipe spills and repair leaks.
Apply absorbents on any oil leaks that may appear in parking lots. Properly dispose of absorbents before it rains. Some absorbents include: wipes, kitty litter, and other organic-based absorbents. Use catch or drip pans.
Never pour fluids down the storm drain, on a paved area, or on the ground.

Site-Dewatering
Water loaded with silt or sediment, or water that is in any way impaired, may not be pumped or drained into the streets, catch basins, storm drains, or drainage ditches.

Follow the site-dewatering plan to provide adequate treatment or containment of sediment-laden water. Follow the erosion control plan to prevent silt and sediment runoff from the site.
If it is necessary to dewater a site after a storm, use appropriate Best Management Practices.

Proper use of straw bales, filter material, and lined sediment basins may provide sufficient filtration for site dewatering. If the discharge of the filtered water is still dirty, further treatment or containment will be required, which may include use of bag filters on pump discharge hoses or the use of poly tanks (Baker tanks).
Regardless of the treatment method used, if the discharge is still dirty, it is not allowed into the City storm drain system.

Cement
Keep all concrete, plaster, and cement mortars out of the streets, gutters, storm drains, and creeks.
Store dry and wet materials off the streets and under covers protected from all rainfall and runoff.
Wash out concrete transit mixers and tools only when in designated wash-out areas. Identify wash-out areas with signs.
Never dispose of washout into the streets, catch basins, storm drains, or drainage ditches.
Whenever possible, return the contents of a mixer barrel to the batch plant for recycling. Dispose of small amounts of excess concrete, grout, and mortar in the trash.

Painting
Never clean brushes or rinse paint containers into a street, catch basin, gutter, or storm drain.
Water based paint brushes may be rinsed in a drain leading to the sanitary sewer (i.e., indoor plumbing). Excess paint may be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Oil-based paint, thinners, and sludges must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Latex paint may be recycled.

Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP)
The Clean Water Act, Section 402, requires that all construction sites, one acre and greater, have a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans will be required for review prior to any permits being issued through the City of Santa Maria Public Works and Community Development Departments. If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the City of Santa Maria Public Works Engineering Division at (805) 925-0951, ext. 225.