Stormwater Management
San Diego International Airport is responsible for administering approximately 661 acres of public lands on the shore of San Diego Bay. The Storm Water Management Plan is a major element of the Airport’s commitment to preventing, eliminating, and reducing the discharge of polluted storm water into the surrounding environment and San Diego Bay. The Stormwater Management Plan is directed at those activities of the Airport Authority itself, as well as those of the airlines and other airport tenants, that have the potential to cause stormwater pollution.
The Storm Water Management Plan is designed to control the pollutants generated by everyday operation of the airport, including: trash, litter and debris; petroleum products that might leak from aircraft and motor vehicles; heavy metals potentially contained in the dust from brake pads, rubber tires, engine exhaust; and the fertilizers and pesticides used to maintain the airport’s landscape and facilities. See below for access to a copy of the Storm Water Management Plan.
The Environmental Affairs Department is responsible for ensuring implementation of the Storm Water Management Plan. The Environmental Affairs Department also works with the Airport Facilities Maintenance Department and the Facilities Development Department to make sure that the airport stormwater conveyance system is clean and operational. The Environmental Affairs Department is responsible for monitoring the quality of stormwater runoff from the Airport. In addition, the Department is responsible for the preparation of the Annual Reports.
Development and Construction
Recently, the regulations and permits related to stormwater management and control have required that best management practices (BMPs) be designed into new development and redevelopment projects. Throughout San Diego County, new development and redevelopment projects of particular types and sizes must be designed in accordance with what are known of locally as the “BMP Design Manuals” requirements. At the San Diego International Airport, Airport Authority and tenant projects that meet the project type and size criteria must be developed in accordance with the Airport Authority’s BMP Design Manual.
Excavated Soil Management Plan
The Authority’s Excavated Soil Management Plan (ESMP) has been developed to provide construction project managers and contractors with the guidance and procedures to appropriately handle, manage and dispose of impacted soil, impacted debris (rock/asphalt/concrete mixed with impacted soil), and burn ash encountered during excavation activities at the San Diego International Airport.
To discuss the applicability of these requirements to your project, please call 619-400-2782 or email the Environmental Affairs department at [email protected].
Watershed Issues
Federal and state stormwater regulations have recently begun to focus on fostering more coordinated efforts among permitted entities to control regional impacts on local water bodies. Sitting on the shore of San Diego Bay, with stormwater runoff from the San Diego International Airport flowing into the Bay, the Airport Authority is working with the Port of San Diego, the County of San Diego, and the cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, and San Diego to control the stormwater pollutants being generated daily within the 415 square mile San Diego Bay watershed. For additional information on these regional efforts, please visit the Project Clean Water web page for the San Diego Bay watershed.
The Industrial Activities Annual Report is submitted by July 1 of each year and describes the activities conducted to control stormwater discharges associated with industrial activities. The Municipal Activities Annual Report is submitted by January 31 of each year and describes the activities conducted to control stormwater discharges associated with municipal activities.
On January 1, 2003, the Authority became the new owner and operator of SDIA, a role previously held by the Port of San Diego. Due to this transfer of responsibility, the Airport Authority was required to obtain it’s own coverage under the appropriate permits and prepare the associated documentation required as part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program of the Clean Water Act.
As a Responsible Party within the San Diego Bay Watershed, the Airport Authority works toward improved water quality in MS4 discharges and receiving waters. Read more in The San Diego Bay Watershed Water Quality Improvement Plan.
Over-Irrigation Prohibition
If you spot any landscape runoff or broken sprinklers at SAN, please contact us ASAP with the incident location at 619-400-2710.
In compliance with the Regional MS4 Permit (AKA the “Municipal Stormwater Permit”), the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority prohibits over-irrigation discharges into storm drains. Over-irrigation has been found to be a source of pollutants such as nutrients, bacteria, pesticides and sediment and therefore, excessive landscape irrigation is prohibited on the airport campus. Additionally, the Authority values the conservation and protection of water as a resource. Whether the region is in a formal state of drought or not, the Authority follows the lead of our local water supply agency (the City of San Diego) and avoids wasteful practices, like over-irrigation.
The Authority works to prevent over-irrigation and the discharge of pollutants from over-irrigation in many ways. First, we don’t water when we don’t have to. The airport’s state-of-the-art weather track system collects and analyzes data from multiple weather stations to determine watering needs. The system shuts off irrigation when we have rainfall. This save approximately 9 million gallons of water in unnecessary irrigation each year and prevents us from overwatering. Second, the Authority and the Facilities Maintenance Department (FMD) have designated personnel to ensure our irrigation system is working properly. The certified irrigation technician performs inspections throughout the day to assure all systems are functioning as designed and there is no over-irrigation. Facilities Maintenance staff are available 24/7 to respond to over-irrigation incidents. If there is an incident involving excess water that cannot be easily fixed, FMD staff will shut down the entire system within an hour. FMD flags all issues and performs correct actions within 12-24 hours. Third, the Authority embraces xeriscaping, or drought-tolerant landscaping, and drip irrigation watering systems that both cut down on water usage and prevent the likelihood and occurrences of over-irrigation.
The Airport Authority engages employees, tenants, and contractors to prevent and report over-irrigation. The Communication Center, Airport Operations, Facilities Management, Planning and Environmental Affairs are trained to respond to over-irrigation. Employees and the public can report over-irrigation incidents to our Communication Center or to Environmental Affairs. Airport employees and Authority staff are informed of the over-irrigation prohibition at outreach events, all-hands meetings, and through email and tenant information notices. We encourage our employees, tenants, contractors, and the public to contact us if you spot over-irrigation on Airport premises.
Please contact us with the incident location by calling 619-400-2710 or filling out an over-irrigation contact us form.
FOD Management
Proper FOD (foreign object debris) management ensures that debris on the airfield does not enter our storm drains and prevents stormwater pollution. The Airport Authority’s FOD Management Plan details policies and measures put in place to ensure FOD-free operations at the San Diego International Airport. The plan outlines the practices implemented by the Airport Authority and its tenants, contractors, and subcontractors to effectively prevent and manage FOD. While FOD is a significant airfield safety and efficiency concern—proper FOD management on our airfield also supports the Authority’s extensive stormwater management program. For the most recent version of the Plan, please click here.
Stormwater GIS Data
The Airport Authority maintains Geographic Information System (GIS) layers and files used to maintain MS4 maps in compliance with Provisions E.2.b.(1), E.3.e.2.(a), E.4.b.(1), E.5.a, and F.4 of the MS4 Permit. The information generated and maintained includes GIS data layers and shapefiles related to the following can be found below:
- all segments of the MS4 owned, operated, and maintained by the Authority;
- all known locations of inlets that discharge and/or collect runoff into the Authority’s MS4;
- all known locations of connections with other MS4s not owned or operated by the Authority;
- all known locations of the MS4 outfalls and private outfalls that discharge runoff collected from areas within the Authority’s jurisdiction;
- all locations of the MS4 outfalls, identified pursuant to provision D.2.a.(1) of the Regional MS4 Permit (i.e., major outfalls that discharge directly to receiving waters);
- Priority Development Projects (PDPs) and associated structural BMPs within its jurisdiction;
- construction projects issued local permits that allow for ground disturbance or soil disturbing activities that can potentially generate pollutants in storm water runoff; and
- existing development within its jurisdiction that may discharge a pollutant load to and from the MS4;
- sampling and monitoring locations.
Complete SWMP
Appendix B
Industrial Annual Reports
Water Quality Equivalency Credit Trading Framework
