AB 756: 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.

This bill would require the department, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, 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 departments 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone programmatic environmental review process to include, among other specified components, a pilot project at a particular highway crossing over the San Mateo Creek 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, no later than December 31, 2026, the Director of Transportation to submit a report to the Legislature describing the departments strategy to eliminate the discharge of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone by the department to all salmon and steelhead trout bearing surface waters of the state.

This bill would require, commencing January 1, 2027, the department to annually install bioretention or biofiltration controls at 10% of specified locations for 10 years, until the department has installed bioretention or biofiltration controls at all locations where the department is likely to discharge stormwater into salmon or steelhead trout bearing surface waters of the state. The bill would require the director to prepare an annual status report to be given to the Legislature describing the status of the departments progress in preventing the discharge of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone on or before October 31 of each year, through October 31, 2038.