The Environmental Safety Section of the Fire Department implements State mandated water pollution control programs to minimize pollutant discharges into Mountain View creeks and the Bay.

New Requirement for Demolition Projects

As of July 1, 2019, applicants proposing to completely demolish a building must submit a Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Screening Assessment Applicant Package prior to obtaining a demolition permit. The “PCBs Screening Assessment Applicant Package” includes a “Project Applicability Form” to determine if the building is likely to have materials containing PCBs, and a “PCBs in Priority Building Materials Report” form used to provide required assessment information for applicable projects. A link to the protocol for assessing PCBs-containing building materials is provided below. Structures built or remodeled between January 1, 1950 and January 1, 1981 may contain caulks/sealants, thermal/fiberglass insulation, adhesive/mastic, rubber window seals/gaskets with PCBs concentrations at or above 50 ppm that require abatement before demolition in accordance with state and federal laws. Wood-framed structures are exempt from this requirement. Implementation of the requirement to manage PCBs during demolition is required in the San Francisco Bay Region Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit (Order No. r2-2015-0049, Permit No. CAS612008).

• PCBs Screening Assessment Applicant Package
• Protocol for Evaluating Priority PCB-Containing Materials Document

Consultants and Contractors Which May Be Able to Perform Assessment and Abatement Work

• ANCEC – Association of Northern California Environmental Consultants
• AEC – Association of Environmental Contractors

Water Pollution Prevention Program

The San Francisco Bay watershed, including creeks and streams that feed into the Bay, is known for its beauty, and is home to a vibrant ecosystem. The wide range of plant and wildlife species that live in the creeks and the Bay are sensitive to pollutants, including trash and toxic pollutants. The Environmental Safety Section of the Fire Department implements State mandated water pollution control programs to minimize pollutant discharges into Mountain View creeks and the Bay.

Watershed Protection

There are two primary pathways for discharges into the San Francisco Bay watershed. One pathway is the sanitary sewer system which takes wastewater that is generated from homes, businesses, and industries to the wastewater treatment plant, located in Palo Alto, where the wastewater is cleaned through an advanced biological treatment process. Wastewater pollutants are removed throughout the process before the water is either recycled or discharged into the Bay. The Environmental Safety Section implements programs and actions to ensure that quantities or types of pollutants are not flushed into the sewer that will disrupt the collection system, cause an upset of biological processes at the treatment plant, or pass through the system and discharge to the Bay without treatment. Examples of the programs and actions include:

• Industrial facility inspections and monitoring
• Commercial facility inspections, including Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) control at food service facilities
• Enforcement of sanitary sewer pollution prevention requirements throughout the community
• Sewer pollution prevention outreach and education
• Review and inspection of source control and sewer pollution prevention practices at new and re-development projects

Another primary pathway for pollutant discharges into the watershed is the storm drain system. Storm drains located along streets, parking lots, and on private property are critical for flood protection during rain storms. Rainwater runoff flows into storm drain and flows directly to creeks and the Bay. Stormwater runoff does not flow into a treatment plant, so any pollutant material, such as trash, oil, or a pesticide that is spilled or poured on a surface or in a storm drain will be flushed into the creeks and Bay. Polluted stormwater discharges are harmful to creek and Bay ecosystems. The Environmental Safety Section implements a number of programs and actions to reduce stormwater runoff pollution, including:

• Commercial and industrial facility inspections
• Construction site inspections
• Enforcement of pollution prevention requirements throughout the community
• Spill and illegal dumping incident response
• Stormwater Pollution prevention education and outreach
• Review and inspection of source control requirements at new and re-development projects
• Review and inspection of stormwater treatment requirements at new and re-development projects

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