City Council
259 N. Wilma Avenue
Ripon, CA 95366
MEMO
To: Honorable City Council
From: James Pease, Public Works Director
Date: 07/14/2026
Subject: Delta Regional Monitoring Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve and authorize the annual payment of $5,150 to the Delta Regional Monitoring Program for the City of Ripon’s participation in this program, as required by the City’s State Storm Water Phase II General Permit (funding source: Sewer Operating Fund).
BACKGROUND:
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopted the Phase II Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) General Permit in February of 2013 and it took effect on July 1, 2013. The permit was a renewal of the previous MS4 permit which was first adopted in 1999.
All cities with a population of over 10,000 fall under the Phase II general permit requirements.
The MS4 General Permit was established under the Clean Water Act which prohibits certain discharges of storm water containing pollutants into national waters without a permit.
The City of Ripon discharges its storm water runoff directly into the Stanislaus River which feeds into the San Joaquin River. Due to certain pollutants within the San Joaquin River, Ripon is required to participate in a water quality monitoring program under the MS4 General Permit.
The intent of this required program is to determine the extent of the receiving water problems, what the sources of the water quality problems are and whether or not conditions of the receiving water are getting better or worse.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
To meet the water quality monitoring element of the MS4 General permit, the State has forced participation of several municipalities including Ripon into the existing Delta Regional Monitoring Program (Delta RMP) by order of California Water Code Section 13267. The Delta RMP is currently monitoring constituents that are commonly found in storm water runoff including pathogens, mercury, pesticides and their associated toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Samples are obtained at locations along the San Joaquin River and Delta waterways. As results from the monitoring efforts are obtained, new measures to help reduce contaminants will be proposed for implementation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Each municipality will pay an annual fee for participation in the Delta RMP based on population.
The City of Ripon falls into the 8,000 – 19,999 population range and will pay an annual fee of $5,150 from the City’s Sewer Operating Fund.
Attachments:
1. 26-27 Delta Regional Invoice