AB 1798: Department of Transportation: contaminated stormwater runoff: salmon and steelhead trout bearing surface waters.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with full possession and control of all state highways. Under existing law, the State Water Resources Control Board and the 9 California regional water quality control boards regulate water quality.

This bill would require the department, in conjunction with the State Water Resources Control Board, to develop a programmatic environmental review process to prevent 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone from entering salmon and steelhead trout bearing surface waters of the state. The bill would require the state board to establish the parameters of the departments programmatic environmental review process, as specified, and, to the extent practical, with the department, consult with the States of Washington and Oregon in the development of the programmatic environmental review process. The bill would require the departments 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone programmatic environmental review process to include specified components, including 5 pilot projects at specified locations to study the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of installing and maintaining bioretention and biofiltration comparatively along department rights-of-way to eliminate the discharge of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone into surface waters of the state, as specified. The bill would require all information provided by the department to the state board pursuant to these provisions be made publicly available through the state boards stormwater data collection system.