Reso PC16-23 PC 0116 Reso CEQA - Sandpiper

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Section 4.0 — Environmental Setting and Discussion of Impacts 4.9 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY 4.9.1 Existing Setting 4.9.1.1 Applicable Plans, Policies, and Regulations Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) In 1968, Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in response to the rising cost of taxpayer funded disaster relief for flood victims and the increasing amount of damage caused by floods. The NFIP makes federally -backed flood insurance available for communities that agree to adopt and enforce floodplain management ordinances to reduce fixture flood damage. FEMA manages the NFIP and creates Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS) that designate 100 -year flood hazard zones and delineate other flood hazard areas. A 100 -year flood hazard zone is the area that has a one in one hundred (one percent) chance of being flooded in any one year based on historical data. CIean Water Act and Porter -Cologne Water Quality Control Act The Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and California's Porter -Cologne Water Quality Control Act are the primary laws related to water quality. The CWA forms the basis for several state and local laws throughout the nation. The objective of the CWA is to reduce or eliminate water pollution in the nation's rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal waters. The CWA outlines the federal laws for regulating discharges of pollutants and sets minimum water quality standards for all "Waters of the United States." The Porter -Cologne Act established the State Water Resources Control Board (S WRCB). Several mechanisms are employed to control domestic, industrial, and agricultural pollution under the CWA. At the federal level, the CWA is administered by the EPA. At the state and regional level, the CWA is administered and enforced by the SWRCB and the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB). The State of California has developed several water quality laws, rules, and regulations, in part, to assist in the implementation of the CWA and related federally -mandated water quality requirements. In many cases, the federal requirements set minimum standards and policies, and the laws, rules, and regulations adopted by the state and regional boards exceed the federal requirements. CWA Section 303(d) lists polluted water bodies that require further attention to support future beneficial uses. The San Francisco Bay is on the Section 303(d) list as an impaired water body for several pollutants. State Water Quality Control Board Nonpoint Source Pollution Program In 1988, the SWRCB adopted the Nonpoint Source Management Program in an effort to control nonpoint source water pollution in California. The Nonpoint Source Management Program requires individual permits to control discharge associated with construction activities. The Nonpoint Source City of Redwood City 55 initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration Sandpiper Elementary School Facilities Expansion November 2016