Stormwater Management Program

The Golden Gate Stormwater Management Program was developed in 2017 in response to regulatory mandates from the California State Water Resources Control Board and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.  The state-issued permit (known as the Small and Non-Traditional MS4 Permit) and Golden Gate’s program are aimed at reducing urban runoff pollution and protecting the local bodies of water from water quality impairment. 

Golden Gate’s Stormwater Program includes:

• Public Outreach and Education

• Industrial Facility Inspections

• Illicit Discharge Investigation and Enforcement

• Construction Site Management

• Maintenance of the Facility Drainage System
   

Although our program addresses all Golden Gate facilities and properties, particular emphasis is placed on those locations which have the most potential for storm water impacts. These locations are the Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate San Rafael bus maintenance facility, the Golden Gate Novato transport facility, the Golden Gate Santa Rosa transport facility, and the Golden Gate Larkspur ferry terminal facility.  A brief description of these facilities provided below.

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Golden Gate Bridge Maintenance Facility 

The Golden Gate Bridge maintenance facility consists of approximately 5 acres of industrial activity area within a much larger group of facilities operated by Golden Gate. Drainage Area A consists of the south west portion of the Maintenance Shop, Fuel Island, the Car Wash Area and associated operations and storage areas. Drainage Area B consists of the north east portion of the Maintenance Shop, Paint Tunnel and associated operations and storage areas. Drainage Area C consists of primary storage-related operations traditionally referred to as the “boneyard”.

The remainder of the Golden Gate-operated areas within the area – including the bridge itself, the toll plaza, Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center and various other areas – are not part of the IGP regulated facility. Storm water drains in each of the Drainage Areas lead directly to San Francisco Bay, via a network of discharge points that are operated by a combination of the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service.
 

Golden Gate San Rafael Bus Maintenance Facility

The Golden Gate San Rafael bus maintenance facility is approximately 14 acres in size and is approximately 95% impervious. It consists of several buildings and is bordered with landscaping. Drainage Area A consists of areas located in proximity to the Body Shop, Paint Shop, and Trim Shop Building, Wash Rack, and Fuel Island. Drainage Area A discharges to the north and east of the facility to San Rafael’s Municipal Separate Storm Water System (MS4). Drainage Area B consists of areas located in proximity to the Storage Building and Maintenance Buildings. Drainage Area B discharges to the north of the facility to San Rafael’s MS4. Drainage Area C consists of areas located in proximity to the Bus Parking Lot, Fueling Area, and Employee Parking lot. Drainage Area C discharges to the east of the facility, also to San Rafael’s MS4.
 

The only significant non-industrial activity at the facility takes place at the Administrative Buildings and Employee Parking Areas, located in Drainages Areas B and C, respectively. However, the storm water drainage system does not isolate these areas from the industrial activity areas. Therefore, the three discharge points represent a combination of both industrial and nonindustrial storm water. A park and ride lot located to the south of the d is not included within the IGP-permitted area. Although this property is owned by Golden Gate, it is leased to and operated by Marin Airporter. No maintenance activities are performed on it.

Golden Gate Novato Transport Facility

The Golden Gate Novato transport facility is approximately 5.9 acres in size and is approximately 85% impervious. The facility consists of several buildings, an asphalt bus parking yard, landscaped areas, and, at the south end of the property, a 1.3-acre unpaved area. Drainage Area A consists of the Wash Rack, Fuel Island and Bus Parking. Additionally, contained in Drainage Area A is a dispatch building, which contains no industrial activity. Drainage Area B consists of areas of non-industrial activity, including employee parking. Drainage Area A is drained by a network of storm drain lines that discharge into drainage ditches located along the south and west sides of the property.

Golden Gate Santa Rosa Transport Facility

The Golden Gate Santa Rosa transport facility is approximately 10 acres in size and is approximately 60% impervious. The facility consists of a few buildings and an asphalt bus parking yard bordered with landscaping. Additionally, the north end of the property contains a 4-acre dirt lot.

Drainage Area A incorporates all of the facility’s industrial activities, including the Wash Rack, Fuel Island, and Bus Parking. Storm water in Drainage Area A is collected by a network of drains which flow via a subsurface drain line network to a common discharge location on the west side of the property. This discharge flows into a tributary of Santa Rosa Creek which runs along the western boundary of the facility. The two other drainage areas at the facility are entirely non-industrial. To the south of Drainage Area A is Drainage Area B, which includes the facility administrative building and employee parking lot. Finally, Drainage Area C encompasses the large unimproved area on the north end of the facility.

Golden Gate Larkspur Ferry Terminal Facility

The Golden Gate Larkspur ferry terminal facility is approximately 14.5 acres in size and is approximately 98% impervious. The facility consists of several small maintenance/operational areas, and large public areas including the Passenger Terminal and public parking lot. Drainage Area A consists of the fuel tanks area and discharges south into Corte Madera Creek. Drainage Area B consists of areas located in proximity to the Shipping & Receiving area east of the fuel tanks and also discharges to Corte Madera Creek. Drainage Area C consists of all of the over-water areas including the ferry Berths 1 through 4, and access gangways, the Passenger Terminal, and the Service Building located in the far southeast corner of the facility. Due to the over-water configuration of the facility structures in Drainage Area C, there are many dozens of individual and sheet flow discharge locations throughout this area. Drainage areas D through J are non-industrial use areas containing employee and public parking lots.

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For more information about the Golden Gate Stormwater Management Program, contact Kelli Vitale at (415) 257-4553 or KVitale@goldengate.org, or Albert Lam at (415) 716-6078 or ALam@goldengate.org.