The City of Petaluma is located approximately 35 miles northwest of San Francisco, in southwestern Sonoma County, California. The city limits encompass approximately 13 square miles situated in the upper Petaluma River watershed. The City’s storm sewer system consists of ditches, natural and improved channels, pipes, and culverts, all discharging into the Petaluma River and its tributary creeks.
The Petaluma River Watershed supports beneficial uses for cold and freshwater habitat, fish migration, preservation of rare and endangered species, fish spawning, wildlife habitat, and contact and non-contact water recreation. Impacts from urban growth, construction, land development, atmospheric deposition, and agricultural activities contribute a variety of pollutants to the surface water runoff, resulting in the listing of the Petaluma River on the 2002 Clean Water Act’s Section 303(d) list for nutrients, pathogens, and sediment.
The Federal Clean Water Act requires operators of small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) to comply with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulation. The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) is the regulatory agency having national NPDES permit oversight authority for Petaluma. The City’s Storm Water Management Plan was adopted by the City Council in March 2003 to comply with the NPDES permit requirements. The Storm Water Program is responsible for implementation of the Storm Water Management Plan. During the initial permit term, the City’s Storm Water Management Plan will focus efforts and resources on best management practices (BMPs) that address the reduction of nutrients, pathogens, and sediment in the City’s storm water
