Stormwater Program
To Report Salinas Spills/Dumping: Call 758-7233. State the location of the spill/dumping (street intersection/street address), the time, any information that can help the City find the source and alert the offender of the prohibition.
Check out Clean Water Salinas to learn more about the stormwater program and its positive impact on our community.
Urban Watershed (Stormwater) Management Program
The City of Salinas’ Urban Watershed (Stormwater) Management Program is an integrated effort involving the public, with municipal departments, federal, state and other local agencies. Together, the goal is to protect water resources by reducing or eliminating contaminants from entering our local creeks and ultimately the Salinas River. By protecting local water bodies, we protect waters downstream, including Monterey Bay.
What can you do to Help?
Residents, businesses and schools can all make a difference. In fact, that is the only way we can protect our water from pollution. Specific brochures containing best management practices (BMPs) to protect water from pollution can be accessed on the right side of the this site under "Stormwater Documents" page. These are simple solutions; In many cases, these are also requirements. Visit Clean Water Salinas to learn how to take action at your residence or join an event with Salinas' community partners.
What is Stormwater / Urban Runoff?
URBAN RUNOFF is all the water that flows from our streets, driveways, buildings, sidewalks and landscapes and includes STORMWATER. The protection of our local watersheds and waterways depends upon everyone doing his or her fair share to protect water quality. There are many simple things you can do to prevent pollutants from entering streets. One is to reduce the flow into our storm drains that carries urban runoff away.
If Stormwater Pollution Was Rubber Duckies from Environment Salinas on Vimeo.
Regulations for Stormwater
Salinas’ Stormwater Permit requires every resident and business to take responsibility for their water quality by preventing pollutants from entering downstream water bodies. This is achieved by each of us taking responsible steps to protect our water, called stormwater best management practices or BMPs. By exploring this website, you can learn how to protect our water and how you can get involved.
Watershed Neighbors and the Creeks of Salinas
We all live in a watershed. A watershed is all the land area, including man-made and natural surfaces, that contribute water flow to the nearest waterway. Water travels from the highest points of a watershed to the lowest points, eventually to the ocean. Everything that happens in the watershed affects downstream water quality and habitat quality for fish, birds and other living things. Salinas waterways are its local neighborhood creeks, the Reclamation Ditch and the Salinas River, all connected to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. For more information, visit: Clean Water Salinas.
Bioretention Landscape
The selection of appropriate plants for bioretention and other vegetated stormwater facilities is crucial to a successful design. California plant palettes need to be drought-tolerant, appropriate for the regional climate, aesthetically-pleasing, and support stormwater function. LIDI has created several bioretention plant design resource documents for California. While primarily focused on the Central Coast region, the plant design approaches and many of the actual plant types are appropriate throughout California.
Bioretention Plant List - this list includes plants that are appropriate for the functional portion of the bioretention area (i.e., the area that ponds) and includes information on plant light preferences, climate zones, and drought-tolerance.
LID Plant Guidance for Bioretention - this document provides guidance for plant selection, planting, and establishment and maintenance.
Bioretention Plant Palette Guidebook - this document includes guidance for choosing bioretention plant palettes appropriate to different land uses such as commercial, residential, and rural applications. Plant palettes examples are provided.
Clarifying a Common Misunderstanding Regarding Bioretention Plant Selection
In selecting plants for bioretention or other vegetated stormwater management facilities, it’s important to distinguish between those plants that will be located in the functional zone of the facility (Zone A) versus those areas within the bioretention area that do not see greater than average precipitation and associated soil saturation (Zone B).
The photos below show two examples of bioretention facilities. It's tempting to think that all the plants within the facility are “bioretention plants.” However, in general, only the center areas represent the stormwater functional zone and plants in this zone must be able to tolerate periodic inundation and ponding. Typically, plants around the outer edge do not experience ponding or inundation and plants selected for this outer zone can come from a much broader, more typical planting palette appropriate for the climate and application.
Trees in Bioretention Areas
Trees are an important feature in a community and provide multiple benefits, including stormwater management. The LIDI bioretention plant list does not include trees. Why?Because there remains uncertainty as to which tree species are appropriate for placement in bioretention areas. For example, some trees will survive being planted where stormwater ponding occurs, others tolerate a side-slope location, but some trees may not survive/thrive in either. Additionally, careful consideration must be made to meet local municipal requirements for tree and parking lot trees, and selection must avoid species that generate excessive leaf litter that could cover the surface of the bioretention area and reduce infiltration or clog overflows.Comprehensive designs that integrate trees and stormwater function can be done - see some examples below of ways to integrate both trees and stormwater management function.
Example of tree placement that alternates between the bioretention areas.
Example of design that further separates bioretention from tree planters.
Information on this webpage was adopted with permission from Central Coast Low Impact Development Initiative.
Stormwater Program News
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Salinas Creek Cleanups
Events every Saturday in October, 9am-12pm!
Join SavetheWhales.org and the City of Salinas in their efforts to clean up Salinas’ creeks! Creek cleanups will be hosted every Saturday in October in order to increase clean acres of creeks by 20% before the first rain! All cleanup supplies will be provided, but please wear appropriate clothing and bring a mobile device if you have one. Please see flyer below for more information.
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Harnessing technology to create a data-driven City of Salinas Stormwater Program
Regulatory compliance drives the direction and focus of municipal stormwater, public works, planning, and water resource programs everywhere. Regulatory permits require data collection and assessment. Data is often collected via paper and reported in PDF documents where “data goes to die”. The City of Salinas is using Esri1 technology to create a more efficient and effective program with decision support tools to improve communication with regulators, elected officials, funders and the public.
The City...
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FIVE Winning Dogs & Their Owners Help Protect OUR Creeks, River, Bay, and Ocean
Last month, the Salinas Stormwater Program held a pet contest in which each contestant submitted a photo of their dog and answered how they prevent pet waste from entering storm drains that lead straight to Salinas creeks, the Salinas River, and the Monterey Bay. Not only are these winning pets adorable, they also have winning owners who help protect OUR Creeks, River, Bay, Ocean, and Wildlife!
And the winners are ....
Rainwater Catchment / Harvesting Links
- Central Coast Greywater Alliance
- Graywater Action
- Water Awareness Committee of Monterey County
- Home Graywater Collection Systems
- Graywater Clothes Washer System: Laundry to Landscape
- Laundry to Landscape Installation Workshops
- Residential Rainwater Harvesting Systems
- Requirements for Architectural Copper
- Rain Barrels and Cisterns, Small Projects: “Stormwater Control”
- Cisterns and Rain Barrels, Green Gardner
- Soak Up the Rain: Permeable Pavement