February 1996 Issues Online June 2007 April 2007 February 2007 December 2006 October 2006 August 2006 June 2006 April 2006 February 2006 December 2005 October 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 December 2004 October 2004 August 2004 June 2004 April 2004 February 2004 December 2003 October 2003 August 2003 June 2003 April 2003 February 2003 December 2002 October 2002 August 2002 June 2002 April 2002 February 2002 December 2001 October 2001 August 2001 June 2001 April 2001 February 2001 December 2000 October 2000 August 2000 June 2000 April 2000 February 2000 December 1999 October 1999 August 1999 June 1999 April 1999 February 1999 December 1998 October 1998 August 1998 June 1998 April 1998 February 1998 December 1997 October 1997 August 1997 June 1997 April 1997 February 1997 December 1996 October 1996 August 1996 June 1996 April 1996 February 1996 December 1995 October 1995 August 1995 June 1995 April 1995 February 1995 December 1994 October 1994 August 1994 June 1994 April 1994 February 1994 December 1993 October 1993 August 1993 Select any issue from the menu in this bar.

Construction Crack-Down

Every time it rains, Scott Stranzl pulls on his rubber boots and walks the 1100-acre, 960-housing-unit Five Canyons construction site in Castro Valley to see where the water's going. As the mudbuster and pollution policeman (he prefers the title "environmental compliance monitor") for Centex Homes, it's this consultant from Zander Associates' job to inspect the site before and after storms to make sure erosion and runoff control measures are working. He walks the creek corridors, notes any turbidity in runoff from the site and traces origins. He checks the site's numerous sediment catchment basins to see how full they are and looks for breaches. He examines silt curtains for collapses and storm drains for blockages and "proper inlet protection." All these measures are part of the stormwater management plan that Centex must carry out under the Clean Water Act. All are designed to keep sand, silt, mud and pollutants in runoff out of creeks, rivers, stormdrains and the Bay.

A prevention program like Five Canyons' will become the rule rather than the exception if the S.F. Regional Board has its way. According to the Board, the vast majority of the 400 construction projects over five acres in size now underway regionwide aren't carrying out adequate erosion control programs, and the Board doesn't like it.

The biggest construction culprit is grading. The denuded slopes laid open to the rains by extensive grading are a major source of runoff pollution, particularly from sediment. Once disturbed, earth can erode at 2-40,000 times the preconstruction rate. When the eroded material hits creeks and other surface waters, it can smother fauna in stream bottoms, reduce the water's clarity and thus inhibit photosynthesis, silt up gravel beds where fish spawn, lower stream temperatures and increase nutrient loading and resulting algal growth. It can also increase flooding and impair navigation.

The Board's Hossain Kazemi says many developers get behind schedule and continue to grade right up until the first rain and beyond, when it's too late to plant vegetation to keep the soil in place. To be effective the developer has to finish most of the grading, then hydroseed, blanket or otherwise stabilize the soil on the graded area before, not after, the rainy season starts. "Plants aren't going to grow in one day," says Kazemi. "Plus stabilization costs increase ten-fold once the rain begins."

The Board views growing vegetation as the best and cheapest way to limit erosion, but this method does take careful planning and acceptance of seasonal timelines. Many developers prefer to build sediment catchment basins and to sandbag or silt fence problem areas. Kazemi says basins are often undersized and more often than not aren't regularly cleaned out. That's where people like Stranzl come in. "Consistent monitoring and maintenance are the best solutions," says Stranzl, whose spot checks lead to quick repairs of breaches and other problems.

But taking adequate steps to control erosion doesn't come cheap. Centex's Barry Crosby guesstimates he's spent $300 per lot on erosion prevention, but says these costs are higher than normal because of the large size and heavy grading of the Five Canyons project.

To bring other developers into line, the Board recently began discussions with building industry reps, erosion control experts and urban creeks activists aimed at coming up with board specs that are simpler and clearer than the current tomes.

Kazemi hopes to bring this "straw proposal for minimum required specifications" to his Board for approval no later than July. The proposal could place new seasonal deadlines on grading work and site winterization.

"I'd rather see them make themselves more present, make contractors out in the field more aware of the Board's concerns, than reduce the work season," says Crosby.

He notes that Alameda County's public works inspector has been out at Five Canyons checking the grading almost every other day in recent weeks and that his presence reminds busy contractors to keep on top of erosion control.

But county inspectors have also sometimes been subject to the powerful political clout of many developers. "We've seen inspectors fired for doing their jobs too well," says the Board's Larry Kolb, whose agency doesn't have the dollars for an army of its own inspectors .

"Our inspectors are seeing only token efforts," says Kolb. "The Board's now decided to get aggressive and bring these construction projects up to snuff. Fines may go from three to six figures."

Contact: Hossain Kazemi (510)286-1043

«To @@(newsletter_title)@@ Index