Environmental Services

As the Environmental Services Division, we are responsible for ensuring City compliance with environmental regulations as it relates to stormwater, air quality, hazardous materials, and underground storage tanks. The two branches within the division are Regulatory Compliance and Stormwater Management: 

Regulatory Compliance staff ensures City compliance with environmental regulations for the California Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Riverside County Department of Environmental Health. Staff accomplishes this by maintaining permits for various assets owned by the city, completing compliance reports, scheduling, and performing inspection activities, and ensuring staff receives proper training.

Stormwater Management staff administers stormwater activities to ensure City compliance with the NPDES Permit [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System]. Permit requirements are achieved through collaboration with various City departments and regional/local agencies. Additionally, staff conducts inspections of businesses, construction sites, municipal facilities, and responds to illicit discharges to prevent pollutants from entering the City’s storm drain system.

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater is any precipitation (including rain, hail, and snow) that does not evaporate or percolate into the ground, and instead runs off and collects into the storm drain system. Unlike the sewer system, which carries water from your indoor drains to our wastewater treatment plants, the storm drain system in Corona releases untreated water into flood control channels, creeks, the Santa Ana River, Prado Basin and ultimately the ocean. 

The sheet flow of water over suburban and urban surfaces contributes to the pollution of local waterways by carrying contaminants like pet waste, motor oil, and trash into the storm drain system, where anything that enters will flow directly into our waterways untreated. In Riverside County, Prado Basin, the Santa Ana River, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, and Temescal Creek are just some examples of affected waterways. Visit the SARWQCB website to learn more.

The Riverside County Flood and Water Conservation District (RCFC&WCD) is listed as the Principal Permittee for the Santa Ana Region (SAR) NPDES, while the City of Corona is listed as a co-permittee. The City is bound to comply with all the aspects of the permit requirements, and as a result has adopted an ordinance that addresses non-stormwater discharges that are not allowed into the City's stormwater system. The State permit regulations and the City ordinance affect residential, industrial, commercial, and construction sites and/or projects.

This website highlights the City's role in keeping storm drains and local waterways clean and provides resources to the community. The Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) focuses on three areas:

• Residential
• Industrial/Commercial
• New Development/Construction

For more information specific to residents, business owners, and contractors/developers, refer to the subsections below.

More Useful Links

If you need additional information about National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations, Best Management Practices or how you can help please see the following web links:

• Riverside County Flood Control District, Stormwater Section
• Riverside County Department of Waste Resources, Household Hazardous Waste Section:
  General Information and Calendar
• Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board:
  Regulations, Permits, General Information
• California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA): Handbooks
• United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA):
  Overview of NPDES program, menu of BMPs, educational materials
• Riverside County Watershed Protection: Outreach Materials Library

For more information regarding Air Quality or Hazardous Materials, see the following links:

Air Quality:

• South Coast Air Quality Management District: Rebates and Incentives for Residents (Clean Air Choices)
• South Coast Air Quality Management District: Report an Air Quality Complaint (Air Quality Complaint System)

‍Hazardous Materials:

• Department of Toxic Substance Control: Event Calendar
• Department of Toxic Substance Control: Household Hazardous Waste Facilities (Household Hazardous Waste Facilities)