Storm and Surface Water Management

Under the Clean Water Act regulations, local governments in the Puget Sound Basin and those subject to the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Storm Water Program are required to have storm water management programs. NPDES rules (Phase II) extended coverage to operators of regulated small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) serving less than 100,000, and required these facilities to apply for a stormwater permit by March 2003.  On January 17, 2007 Ecology issued two phase II municipal stormwater permits, one for western Washington and one for eastern Washington. The Washington state Department Ecology (DOE) administers the NPDES program in Washington state.  See DOE's  Municipal Stormwater Permits Page

The listing of salmon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that streams and wetlands be protected (see MRSC pages on ESA Salmon/Bull Trout). All local governments with salmon habitats are encouraged to develop storm water management plans. Those seeking 4(d) rule exemptions will be required to meet National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) stormwater requirements.

If you have information to share or are aware of other Web sites that we should link to, please contact John Carpita, MRSC Public Works Consultant, at jcarpita@mrsc.org or Lynne De Merritt, Senior Research Consultant at ldemerritt@mrsc.org, or call at (206) 625-1300.

Contents

• The Need for Storm and Surface Water Management: The Water Quality Issue
• Federal and State Storm and Surface Water Regulations
• Local Government Storm and Surface Water Management
• Best Management Practices - Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping
  • Low Impact Development (LID)
  • Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management
• Erosion and Sediment Control - Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control
• Stormwater Funding
  • Sewer and Stormwater Conservation and Efficiency Loans
• Storm and Surface Water Utility
• Public Education and Outreach - Public Involvement and Participation