2014-069 - Final Environmental Impact Report No. 2014-01

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HARBOR BLVD. MIXED USE TRANSIT CORRIDOR PLAN FINAL FIR CITY OF SANTA ANA 5. Environmental Analysis 5.7 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY This section of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) evaluates the potential impacts to hydrology and water quality conditions in the City of Santa Ana from implementation of the proposed Harbor Boulevard Mixed Use Transit Corridor Plan. Hydrology deals with the distribution and circulation of water, both on land and underground. Water quality deals with the quality of surface and groundwater. Surface water is water on the surface of the land and includes lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks. Groundwater is water below the surface of the earth. The analysis in this section is based, in part, on the following technical studies: • Harbor Corridor Mixed Um Transit Corridor Drainage Study, IBI Group, March 18, 2013 A complete copy of this study is included in Appendix F to this EIR. 5.7.1 Environmental Setting Relevant federal, state, and local laws, regulations, plans, or guidelines that are potentially applicable to the proposed project are summarized below. They are designed to achieve regional water quality objectives and thereby protect the beneficial uses of the region's surface water and groundwater. Regulatory Setting Federal Clean Water-Act The federal Water Pollution Control Act (also known as the Clean Water Act [CWA]) is the principal statute governing water quality. The CWA establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and gives the EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industry. The statute's goal is to end all discharges entirely and to restore, maintain, and preserve the integrity of the nation's waters. The CWA regulates both the direct and indirect discharge of pollutants into the nation's waters. The CWA sets water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters and makes it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit is obtained under its provisions. The CWA mandates permits for wastewater and stormwater discharges, requires states to establish site specific water quality standards for navigable bodies of water, and regulates other activities that affect water quality, such as dredging and the filling of wetlands. The CWA also funded the construction of sewage treatment plants and recognized the need for planning to address nonpoint sources of pollution. Section 402 of the CWA requires a permit for all point source (a discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, such as a pipe, ditch, or channel) discharges of any pollutant (except dredge or fill material) into waters of the U.S. National PollutantDischarge Elimination System Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ( NPDES) program promulgated under Section 402 of the CWA, all facilities that discharge pollutants from any point source into waters of the U.S. are required to obtain an NPDES permit. The term pollutant broadly includes any type of industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. Point sources are discharges from publicly owned treatment October 2014 Page 5.7 -1