Getting Caltrans to Approve Your Plans Basic Drainage Policies and Requirements

Roy H. King, MS,PE California Department of Transportation Division of Hydraulics

Getting Started
IGR (Inter-Governmental Review) Optional but HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Environmental Processing and Approval Research (Encroachment Permit Required for ALL WORK within Caltrans Right-ofWay!)

Plan and Permit Processing

Plan Submittal (PS & E Package, including Drainage Report) Plan Review and Approval Construction

Why Cant I Do That?

Mandated / Restricted Use of Highway Funds and Right-of-Way Longitudinal Encroachments

REMEMBER:
We Have High-Speed Traffic! (Affects ALL FACILITIES on our Highways!) Affects DESIGN!

Caltrans Drainage Considerations

On-site Drainage Off-site (Cross) Drainage California Drainage Law Existing / Future Storm Drain Systems FEMA and Flood Plain Issues

On-Site Drainage
No more than 0.1 cubic foot per second during a 25-year frequency storm allowed as concentrated flow anywhere within the traveled way. No water allowed to pond into the traveled way during a 25-year frequency storm.

Off-Site Drainage
No formal written policy for design of culverts. Informal Policy: 100-year storm flow may not pond to the edge of traveled way; 10year storm may not cause the culvert to seal or flow under pressure.

 Is there a FIRM map for any of the watercourses near your project? Will your proposed construction potentially raise the water surface by one foot or more? If so, you will need to prepare a LOMR or CLOMR - and: Even if there is no FIRM map, you still might have to prepare a LOMR or CLOMR!

FEMA Issues

FEMA Website:
http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/se rvlet/FemaWelcomeView?storeId=10001& catalogId=10001&langId=-1

Recent Problem # 1
Where water previously flowed well outside the traveled way, the installation of curb and gutter now forces this water into the highway.

Reduced carrying capacity as a result of the curb and gutter will carry maybe 10-15 cfs before water flows into traveled way Existing ground probably capable of conveying 50-60 cfs before water reaches traveled way

But nowlets put in some curb and gutter! Even in a minor storm, note how little runoff it takes to pond to edge of traveled way

Recent Problem # 2
In the desert, our old two-lane rural roads would pond to a depth of four inches or so before water would flow across the road. Now that weve added two lanes and a shoulder, it ponds to a foot and a half!

Water ponds to only a few inches depth before spilling over centerline

Again, water ponds to only a few inches depth

But now, lets add two twelve foot lanes (giving us three) at 2% crossfall, a ten foot shoulder at 5% crossfall, and look how deep the water ponds!

A More Serious Recent Problem:

New development, while retarding the 100-year storm to less than predevelopment conditions, has increased the flow from small storms. The increased flow from these small storms is KILLING us!

The flood routing calculations showed this basin would work just fine! (Did the outlet plug?)

Were the Contractors BMPs functioning properly?

The basin was designed to reduce the 100-year Q from 250 cfs post-development down to 175 pre-developmentand will work just fine in a 100-year storm!

However, the 5-year post-development runoff of 85 cfs was NOT reduced to the predevelopment 5-year runoff of 50 cfs!

So where did the extra concentrated runoff fro the basin outlet go?

This is how it looked when it got to the next major highway junction

After the storm

Same location looking upstream

Existing Problems you MAY be Asked to Help Solve

Malfunctioning drainage facilities Non-existent facilities Safety hazards (whether drainage-related or not)

ll your development increase the flow in this ditch? If so, you may be

Are you developing upstream? Youll be asked to protect the culvert entrance

Upstream or downstream, youre probably going to have to do something here!

(Yes, we may ask you to help fix this, too, even though we did it)

No comment!!!

Drainage Report Submittal Guidelines for District 8 Transportation Projects

Floodplain Analysis (if Applicable) Preliminary Drainage Report Final Drainage Report

4. Estimated duration of traffic interruption for 100-year event ______ hours. 5. Estimated value of Q100 flood damages (if any) - moderate risk level. A. Roadway $________ B. Property $_________ Total $____________ 6. Assessment of Level of Risk Low ___ Moderate ___ High ___ For High Risk projects, during design phase, additional Design Study Risk Analysis may be necessary to determine design alternative. PREPARED BY: _____________________________________________ ____________________ Signature - Dist. Hydraulic Engineer Date (Item numbers 3, 4, 5, 7, 9) Is there any longitudinal encroachment, significant encroachment, or any support of incompatible Floodplain development? No ____ Yes ____ If yes, provide evaluation and discussion of practicability of alternatives in accordance with 23 CFR 650.113 Information developed to comply with the Federal requirement for the Location Hydraulic Study Shall be retained in the project files.

Responsible Engineer Preparing Plans

CaltransProject ProjectEngineer Engineer Caltrans _____________________________________________ ____________________

Signature - Dist. Project Engineer (Item numbers 1, 2, 6, 8) Date

SUMMARY FLOODPLAIN ENCROACHMENT REPORT Dist. __________Co. _________ Rte.__________ P.M. _________________________ Project No.: _________________________ Bridge No. ______________________ Limits: ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Floodplain Description: ___________________________________________________ SUMMARY FLOODPLAIN ENCROACHMENT REPORT _____________________________________________________________________
Dist. __________Co. _________ Rte.__________ P.M. _________________________ Project No.: _________________________ Bridge No. ______________________ Limits: ________________________________________________________________ 1. Is the proposed action a longitudinal encroachment of the base floodplain? _____________________________________________________________________ Floodplain Description: ___________________________________________________ 2. Are the risks associated with the implementation of the proposed action _____________________________________________________________________

No ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Yes ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

3. 4. 3. 5.
4. 5. 1. 2.

6.
6.

7. 7.

significant? Will the proposed action support probable incompatible floodplain No Yes Is the proposed action a longitudinal encroachment of the base floodplain? ___ ___ development? Are the risks associated with the implementation of the proposed action ___ ___ Are there any significant impacts on natural and beneficial floodplain values? significant? WillRoutine the proposed action support probable incompatible floodplain are required ___ ___ to minimize impacts on the construction procedures development? Areonthere any special mitigation Are floodplain. there any significant impacts natural and beneficial floodplain values? ___ ___measures necessary to minimize Routine constructionor procedures are required to minimize impacts on the ___ ___ impacts restore and preserve natural and beneficial floodplain values? If floodplain. Are there any special mitigation measures necessary to minimize yes, explain. impacts or restore and preserve natural and beneficial floodplain values? If yes, Does explain. the proposed action constitute a significant floodplain encroach-ment as Does the proposed action constitute a significant floodplain650.105(q). encroach-ment as ___ ___ defined in 23 CFR, Section defined in 23 CFR, Section 650.105(q). Studies the above answers on file? If Are Are LocationLocation Hydraulic StudiesHydraulic that document the above answers onthat file? If document ___ ___ not explain. not explain.

___ ___

___ ___

PREPARED BY:

PREPARED BY:

Responsible Engineer Preparing Plans ______________________________________

______________________________________ Signature - Dist. Hydraulic Engineer __________ Date

Signature - Dist. Hydraulic Engineer ______________________________________ __________

Signature - Dist. Environmental Branch Chief Date

__________ Date

______________________________________ __________ ______________________________________ Signature - Dist. Project Engineer Date Signature - Dist. Environmental Branch Chief

Professional Responsible for Environmental Document Caltrans Project Manager

__________ Date

______________________________________ Signature - Dist. Project Engineer

__________ Date

To order by e-mail: http://caltrans-opac.ca.gov/publicat.htm

To Order by Mail or FAX:

State of California Department of Transportation Publication Distribution Unit 1900 Royal Oaks Drive Sacramento California 95815 3800 FAX (916) 324-8997

Caltrans Drafting

Caltrans Basic Traffic Control Requirements

Caltrans Basic Soil Compaction Requirements

Caltrans Water Quality Requirements

Caltrans Basic Landscaping Requirements

and of course Caltrans Drainage Requirements

Caltrans Plan Review & Encroachment Permit Process

Roy H. King, MS, PE Hydraulics Division, California Department of Transportation 464 West 4th, MS 1065 San Bernardino, CA Tel. (909) 383-4555 92401-1464

E-mail: Roy_King@dot.ca.gov