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City of San Leandro Stormwater Fee Report Final Report 1. Introduction HF&H Consultants, LLC Page 3 March 12, 2024 control. Therefore, the SDMP, and the funding options discussed in this report, focuses on local storm drainage collection facilities owned and operated by the City. The City encompasses 15.52 square miles and includes several watersheds within the City: • The Oyster Point Watershed drains a small, primarily industrial region to the east of Oakland Air- port and into the San Francisco Bay; • The San Leandro Marina Watershed drains urban neighborhoods and industrial areas near the marina through an engineered channel and two underground storm drains. It discharges to the San Francisco Bay; and • The Estudillo Canal Watershed collects urban runoff from a wide area of urban San Leandro, ulti- mately discharging to the San Francisco Bay utilizing a network of canals and underground storm drains and a small creek along Fairmont. The City operates and maintains a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) within the City’s boundaries. The MS4 is made up of man-made drainage systems including, but not limited to, curbs and gutters, ditches, culverts, pipelines, manholes, catch basins (inlets), dry wells and outfall structures. The primary storm drainage service provided by the City is the collection, conveyance, and overall management of the stormwater runoff from improved parcels. By definition, all improved parcels that shed stormwater into the City’s MS4, either directly or indirectly utilize, or are served by, the City’s storm drainage system. The need and necessity of this service are derived from property improvements, which historically have increased the amount of stormwater runoff from the parcel by constructing impervio us surfaces such as rooftops, pavement areas, and certain types of landscaping that restrict or retard the percolation of water into the soil lens beyond the conditions found in the natural, or unimproved, state. To the extent that a property is in a natural condition or includes features that contain all increased runoff resulting from the property’s development, that property is exempted from any MS4 service. As such, open space land (in a natural condition) and agricultural lands that demonstrate stormwater absorption equal to or greater than natural conditions are typically exempt. The 2023 SDMP contains a thorough set of maps and lists of various elements within the MS4. Those descriptions are the basis for this Report. STORMWATER FUNDING BACKGROUND In 1993 the City of San Leandro adopted a Storm Water Fee (Fee) to fund Clean Water Act pollution control mandates and manage the storm drain system. The current Fee generates approximately $1,070,000 per year. Over the past 30 years, the Fee has not been increased and its purchasing power has decreased by more than half. Over that same period, clean water regulations have increased with more mandates requiring additional investment. Additionally, repair and maintenance of the system is necessary to address flooding and capacity issues and plan for future climate adaptation. The projected needs of the storm drainage system point toward the need for asking property owners to approve an increase in storm drainage fees in order to ensure a dedicated and sustainable funding stream. As many other municipalities in California have done, including Berkeley, Cupertino, Palo Alto, San Mateo,