98T61401

Description: Over the last decade, public agencies in the Bay Area have invested significant resources in developing and implementing trash assessment and control measure tracking programs to meet the requirements under the stormwater permit for trash reduction. However, the tracking and assessment methods to demonstrate that their actions have resulted in positive environmental outcomes have been constrained to indirect measurements, including mapping trash reduction measures and collecting trash assessment data on streets, sidewalks, and parking lots to estimate improvements in trash generation.

The tasks proposed under the Watching Our Watersheds (WOW) project will result in new monitoring protocols and networks that directly measure the levels of trash in stormwater discharges and in receiving waters. Additionally, the project will enhance regional partnerships between Bay Area municipalities and transportation agencies via the implementation of a regional anti-littering outreach campaign and expand engagement with environmental organizations via the characterization and analysis of trash monitoring data that will inform future trash source control implementation. Lastly, the project will disseminate the data-driven outcomes and conclusions with Bay Area stakeholders about effective trash controls and monitoring results.

The 5.5-year grant-funded project will provide important data to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) and USEPA to better evaluate trash levels in stormwater discharges and determine whether mandated trash load reduction goals have been achieved.

This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $3,366,000.00. Preaward costs are approved back to 4/3/2023.

Activities:
The project activities are as follows:

Task 1: Stormwater Trash Controls
- Approximately 50% reduction in the volume/number of applicable litter-prone trash in communities implementing ordinances.
- Increase in public awareness of trash pollution prevention issues in the SF Bay Area.
- Documented achievement of 100% trash reduction benchmark in applicable Bay Area watersheds observed via OVTAS.

Task 2: Trash Monitoring Methods
- Measured status of stormwater quality at 11 outfall monitoring sites.
- Documented attainment of low trash generation at most stormwater discharge monitoring locations.
- Measured status of water quality at 6 receiving water sampling sites.
- Increase in overall awareness of litter-prone items in receiving water.

Task 3: Information Dissemination
- Standardized trash monitoring methods and protocols documented and implemented in the Bay Area, generating high-quality data.
- Bay Area stakeholders informed on effective trash controls.
- Improvements in trash levels in stormwater and receiving waters observed.

Subrecipient: No subawards are included in this assistance agreement.

Outcomes:
The deliverables of the project include:
- Data compilation of the effectiveness of local single-use plastic ordinances to reduce the generation of trash that ends up in stormwater and receiving waters.
- Regional litter reduction public education and outreach plan using materials developed by the Caltrans Clean California Initiative (CCI).
- OVTA data needed to effectively demonstrate (with an acceptable level of statistical confidence) that stormwater trash reduction goals have been achieved.
- Trash monitoring methods guidance document with new information on tested stormwater outfall and receiving water monitoring methods.
- A web-based stormwater trash information portal with relevant information on effective stormwater trash control measures.
- A trash symposium to present project findings.

The expected outcomes are:
- Documented attainment of low trash generation at all stormwater discharge monitoring locations.
- Measured status of water quality at receiving water sampling sites.
- Low trash levels in receiving waters monitoring locations.

City/County Association Of Governments Of San Mateo County

66.126 - Geographic Programs - San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund

EPA Region 9: San Francisco [EPA - RO]

Menlo Park, California 94025 United States

Single Zip Code

None