Stockton misses first-flush chance

Monday storm an opportunity to check storm drain buildup

By Audrey Cooper

Record Staff Writer

The best opportunity to find out how much junk builds up in local storm drains over the summer was lost this week, when Stockton officials opted not to test water quality.

No monitoring was done during Monday's storm, because testing is only required during three storms, and picking which days to monitor is largely up to the city.

That's something regional water officials want to change.

Stormwater is a leading cause of water pollution in the Valley, because it isn't strained or cleaned before it reaches streams. Virtually anything that winds up on city streets, including oil, animal waste or cigarette butts, makes its way into storm drains.

Such pollution can be lethal to wildlife and harmful to humans.

Stockton, Modesto, and Sacramento are subject to stormwater-management rules from the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board. Water monitoring is required as a way to determine if the cities have been successful in reducing illegal storm-drain dumping and other causes of stormwater pollution.

The best time to tell what goo built up in the drains during the summer is on days such as Monday, the so-called first flush, environmentalists and regional board officials say. Monday was the most rain Stockton had received this season.

Monitoring during the first flush isn't required under regional board rules but soon will be, said Jacque Kelley, an engineer with the regional water board.

"We agree that this is something they should be doing," she said.

New stormwater rules for Stockton are expected in January

City officials have said the proposed changes could increase program costs, which could be passed on to taxpayers.

The city must pay workers for being on call and working overtime to monitor water quality outside of normal working hours. Forecasters call workers if a major storm is expected.

That can be expensive and cumbersome during three-day holiday weekends such as the one that ended Monday, said Bob Murdoch, Stockton's stormwater-program manager.

Also, it takes at least seven years to get an idea of stormwater-pollution changes because of year-to-year rainfall differences. Comparing first-flush numbers with last year's averages would be misleading, Murdoch said.

Normal city testing, which is done at five sites around Stockton, checks for pollutants from ammonia to zinc including pesticides, nutrients, heavy metals and bacteria.

City officials can choose to test virtually any day when enough rain falls.

Those pollutants could harm wildlife and humans, but the autumn weather also presents a different problem for fish: low oxygen in the water.

Leaves left in the gutters runs into drains with rainwater. As yard waste decomposes in water, it uses oxygen that fish need to breathe.

That process can take a few days. No dead fish were recorded Monday or Tuesday, but that could change, DeltaKeeper head Bill Jennings said.

Stockton's leaf-cluttered drains show the city isn't making enough strides toward reducing stormwater pollution, he said.

"They made no effort whatsoever to clean that up (before the storm). This is certainly not a program operating to the maximum-extent practical standards," Jennings said.

By March 2003, smaller cities such as Lodi, Tracy and Manteca will be required to have stormwater programs in place.

* To reach reporter Audrey Cooper, phone 546-8298 or e-mail acooper@recordnet.com