Urban stormwater management in Santa Cruz County

A watershed-related issue examined by the ENVS 560/L Watershed Systems class at CSUMB.

Background

Santa Cruz County has four incorporated cities including Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, the City of Capitola, and Wastonville, with a combined population of nearly 223,000 inhabitants [1]. The total combined population in the many unincorporated areas including Aptos, Ben Lomond, Bonny Doon, Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Corralitos, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, La Selva Beach, Rio Del Mar, Soquel and Zayante is roughly 135,936 [2]. Each incorporated city is responsible for meeting requirements within the General Plan( ) to have in place Santa Cruz County residents and municipalities recognize that the natural resources located in the region provide important habitats for aquatic life of all varieties and opportunities for public recreation and enjoyment as well as commercial operations and ventures. They also understand that all urban runoff eventually flows to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), a federally protected marine area of biological and economical importance along the California Central Coast.

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Incorporated Cities

Scotts Valley

Summary

Scotts Valley is a small city within Santa Cruz County, California, located approximately six miles north of the city of Santa Cruz. Scotts Valley lies within the San Lorenzo River watershed , with the primary land use represented by medium- to low-density residential development with a growing commercial/industrial sector . Carbonera Creek, a perennial stream that eventually flows into the San Lorenzo River, is the central waterway and main recipient of urban storm water within Scotts Valley.The city of Scotts Valley published a Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP) in 2009 in accordance with the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit requirements for small Municipal Seperate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) .

Federal

• Phase I
• Phase II

Santa Cruz

Federal

• Phase I
• Phase II