News Release C01-08

For Immediate Release December 10, 2001

Contact: William L. Rukeyser, Cal/EPA 916-324-9670 (cell) 916-715-5852 Melissa Meuser 916-445-6023

Multi-State Partnership Aims To Boost Innovation For Cleaner Waters

CALIFORNIA - California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) Secretary, Winston H. Hickox, signed a five-state protocol this week securing California’s participation in a plan that streamlines data collection and evaluation methods for stormwater treatment technologies. The protocol was established between California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia as part of the Technology Acceptance and Reciprocity Partnership (TARP) and marks a significant step toward an interstate alliance to solve pollution problems. Stormwater runoff may carry oil or other pollutants from streets, roads and fields and is increasingly recognized as an environmental issue nationally.

The stormwater treatment industry’s estimated 40% - 50% annual growth rate, combined with slow-to-develop field testing protocols, highlights the need to ensure technologies perform at an acceptable level. The multi-state partnership is an important undertaking because it means technology data collected in any of the participating states, in accordance with the protocol, will be accepted by the other states for use in their evaluations. For manufacturers this means technology transfer can be achieved in these states without duplicative testing. Cal/EPA Secretary Hickox notes, “It is important that we clear the pathway for innovative solutions to our state’s needs, while upholding performance standards.”

Cal/EPA’s California Environmental Technology Certification Program (CalCert) designated stormwater as a priority focus for technology certification and led California’s effort to establish common guidelines for the protocol. CalCert encourages the development of new, better environmental technologies through a third-party scientific evaluation of product performance. The protocol will be instrumental in testing and evaluating new stormwater treatment technologies that will help California meet its environmental goals.

Responding to the many reports indicating stormwater as a significant source of surface water pollution, Congress amended the federal Clean Water Act in 1987 to require that stormwater discharges from municipal separate storm systems and associated with industrial activities comply with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Pursuant to the regulations, and the NPDES permits adopted by the State of California, hundreds of municipal agencies and thousands of industrial facilities (including construction activities) must develop and implement stormwater pollution prevention strategies. This mandate has created an intense demand for better environmental technologies and methods.

The five-state stormwater protocol is the first of its kind to gain such support between states. Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs, Bob Durand, reports, “This stormwater protocol will allow us to gather and share product performance information that will enhance our ability to make scientifically sound decisions more quickly, and help to eliminate pollution of our natural resources from parking lots, roadways and commercial developments.”

For more information about CalCert or to review the stormwater protocol, visit the CalCert web site at www.calepa.ca.gov/CalCert.

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