The WQMP is intended to provide guidelines for project-specific post-construction Best Management Practices (BMPs) and for regional and sub-regional Source Control BMPs and Structural BMPs to address management of Urban Runoff quantity and quality to protect Receiving Waters.
WQMP Checklist
New Development and Significant Redevelopment projects, as defined in the table below, shall be required to submit a project-specific WQMP prior to the first discretionary project approval or permit.
| If ANY question is answered YES, your project requires a Project-Specific WQMP. If ALL questions are answered NO, your project does NOT require a Project-Specific WQMP. | ||
| Does your proposed project include: | ||
| Significant Redevelopment: The addition or replacement of 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface on an already developed site. Does not include routine maintenance activities that are conducted to maintain original line and grade, hydraulic capacity, original purpose of the constructed facility or emergency redevelopment activity required to protect public health and safety. | ||
| Residential developments that create 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surface (collectively over the entire project site), including residential housing subdivisions requiring a Final Map (i.e., detached single family home subdivisions, multi-family attached subdivisions, condominiums, or apartments, etc.). | ||
| New industrial and commercial development where the land area (1) represented by the proposed map or permit is 10,000 square feet or more. | ||
| Mixed use developments that create 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surface (collectively over the entire project site). | ||
| Automotive repair shops [Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes (2) 5013, 5014, 5541, 7532, 7533, 7534, 7536, 7537, 7538, and 7539]. | ||
| Restaurants (SIC code 5812) where the land area of development is 5,000 square feet or more. | ||
| Hillside developments disturbing 5,000 square feet or more which are located on areas with known erosive soil conditions or where the natural slope is 25 percent or more. | ||
| Developments of 2,500 square feet of impervious surface or more adjacent to (within 200 feet) or discharging directly into ESAs. "Directly" means situated within 200 feet of the ESA; "discharging directly" means outflow from a drainage conveyance system that is composed entirely of flows from the subject development or redevelopment site, and not commingled with flows from adjacent lands. | ||
| Parking lots of 5,000 square feet or more exposed to stormwater, where "parking lot" is defined as a land area or facility for the temporary parking or storage of motor vehicles. | ||
| Retail Gasoline Outlets that are either 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface with a projected average daily traffic of 100 or more vehicles per day. | ||
| Public Projects, other than Transportation Projects, that are implemented by a Permittee and similar in nature to the priority projects described above and meets the thresholds described herein. | ||
| Other Development Projects whose site conditions or activity pose the potential for significant adverse impacts to water quality. | ||
| 1. Land area is based on acreage disturbed. 2. Descriptions of SIC codes can be found at http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/sicsearch.html. |
||
Submitting a WQMP
- Preliminary WQMP - Two (2) copies are submitted to the Land Development Division of the Public Works Department in association with a pending Planning case.
- Final WQMP - One (1) copy is submitted to the Public Works Department as a component of a pending grading plan check.
Plan Check Process
Estimated turnaround times for the various plan check activities are as follows:
| Plan Check Type | First Check Duration | Second Check (or more) |
| Grading only | 20 days | 10 days |
| Grading with WQMP | 20 days | 10 days |
For the purposes of the City of Riverside, a Preliminary WQMP will contain all the required elements of a Final WQMP with the notable exceptions of the Approved Conditions and the Recorded Covenant. Educational Materials may be included or may be deferred until the Final WQMP, however all pertinent hydrology studies and calculations and all treatment control BMP sizing and design calculations are expected to be included in the approved Preliminary WQMP.
For projects that required a Preliminary WQMP as a condition of the entitlement, the Final WQMP must now be completed and recorded prior to issuance of the grading permit.
When a WQMP plan check is completed, the engineer of record is notified to pick up the report from either Planning in the case of a Preliminary WQMP or from Public Works along with the Grading plans in the case of the Final WQMP.
Approval of the Preliminary WQMP is required prior to any action by the Planning Commission or Zoning Administrator. Approval of the Final WQMP and recordation of the appropriate covenant is required prior to the issuance of any grading or building permit.
In designing a project, especially a project at least one acre in size, pollution prevention measures are required as part of the final project design. These pollution prevention measures shall be designed to meet or exceed minimum treatment levels, which vary based on the project type.
County Resources
Listed below are guidelines and forms to help comply with this post-construction requirement.
(Note: To access these guidelines and forms, you will be redirected to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District website.)
- Isohyetal Map for the 85th Percentile 24-hour Storm Event
- LID BMP Design Handbook
- WQMP Applicability Checklist
For more information or additional questions that you might have on your project specific WQMP, you may reach a Land Development representative at (951) 826-5341.