Environmental Cleanup: Project X

Clean Up Highway and Street Runoff that Pollutes Beaches Allocation: $237.2 Million

Overview

Each day, 70 million gallons of oily pollution, litter, and dirty contamination washes off streets, roads, and freeways into Orange County waterways and beaches. When it rains, the transportation-generated pollution increases tenfold, contributing to the growing number of beach closures and environmental hazards along the Orange County coast.

Before allocation of funds for transit projects, freeways, and streets, two percent of gross revenues from the Renewed Measure M Transportation Investment Plan are set aside to protect Orange County beaches from transportation-generated pollution (commonly known as “urban runoff”) and improving water quality.

Countywide Competitive Program

Measure M Environmental Cleanup funds will be used on a countywide, competitive basis to meet federal Clean Water Act standards for controlling transportation-generated pollution by funding nationally recognized Best Management Practices, such as catch basins with state-of-the-art biofiltration systems; or special roadside landscaping systems called bioswales that filter oil runoff from streets, roads, and freeways.

The environmental cleanup program is designed to supplement, not replace, existing transportation-related water quality programs. This clean up program will improve existing pollution reduction efforts by cities, the county and special districts. Funds will awarded to the highest priority programs that improve water quality, keep beaches and streets clean, and reduce transportation-generated pollution along Orange County’s important coastline.

Description

Implement street and highway related water quality improvement programs and projects that will assist Orange County cities, the County of Orange and special districts to meet federal Clean Water Act standards for urban runoff.

The Environmental Cleanup funds may be used for water quality improvements related to both existing and new transportation infrastructure, including improvements such as:

• Catch Basin screens, filters, and inserts
• Wetlands protection and restoration
• Installation and maintenance of roadside bioswales and biofiltration channels
• Continuous Deflective Separation (CDS) units
• Other street-related “Best Practices” for capturing and treating urban runoff

This program is intended to increase, not replace existing transportation related water quality expenditures and to emphasize high-impact improvements over local operations and operation costs. In addition, all new freeway, street and transits projects must include water quality mitigation as a part of the project scope and cost.

The Environmental Cleanup program is subject to the following requirements:

• Development of a comprehensive countywide improvement program for transportation water quality related improvements.
• A competitive grant process to award funds to the highest priority, most cost-effective projects.
• A matching funds requirement to encourage other federal, state and local funds for water quality improvements.
• A maintenance of effort requirement to ensure that funds support, not replace existing water quality programs.
• Annual reporting on expenditures and a yearly assessment of the water quality benefits provided.
• Strict limits on administrative costs and a requirement to spend funds within three years of receipt.
• Penalties for misuse of any of the Environmental Cleanup funds.

Cost

The estimated cost of the Environmental Cleanup program is $237.2 Million. In addition to the Environmental Cleanup program, an additional $165 Million will be funded by the Renewed Measure M Transportation Investment Plan for mitigating water quality impacts of new streets, road, and transit projects.

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