Yucaipa, California, has approved a revised stormwater implementation agreement with the San Bernardino County Flood Control District that eliminates an overhead charge on county staff time and is expected to reduce costs for agencies participating in the regional stormwater program.

The city council approved the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Permit Implementation Agreement as part of its consent agenda. The agreement establishes how the county, flood control district and 16 incorporated cities in the Santa Ana River Watershed coordinate stormwater permit compliance and share program expenses.

Under the revision, the county will no longer apply an overhead rate to staff time spent on regional program activities. According to the city’s staff report, the rate previously reached 117% of direct labor costs. The change is expected to lower the Area-Wide San Bernardino County Stormwater Program budget without altering the existing cost-sharing formula, which accounts for population, land area and an equal-share allocation.

Yucaipa is responsible for 4.23% of the program’s costs for fiscal year 2026-27, or $112,300. Its share is applied across monitoring, public education, program management and training.

The revision comes as regional agencies prepare for a forthcoming stormwater permit that is expected to expand regulatory coverage beyond San Bernardino County to approximately 60 public agencies across Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. City staff anticipate significant increases in program implementation costs beginning in fiscal year 2027-28 and beyond.

Other agreement changes update meeting requirements, establish deadlines for annual contributions and clarify withdrawal provisions. The agreement supports regional coordination of water-quality monitoring, public education and other measures to control pollutants carried by stormwater runoff.