Explanation of Storm Water Project

NPDES Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit Program

The NPDES Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit for Western Washington was issued by the Department of Ecology in January of 2007. The permit requires that all municipalities create and implement a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) which addresses five required program elements: 1) Public Education and Outreach, 2) Public Involvement and Participation, 3) Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, 4) Construction Site Run-Off, 5) Operations and Maintenance of Post Construction Stormwater Facilities. While the Permit went into effect in February of 2007, the permit itself phases program implementation requirements out over the next four years

What is NPDES?

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a federal permit that regulates stormwater and wastewater discharges to waters of the State. While it is a federal permit, the regulatory authority has been passed to Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE). SWMP Development - One of the permit requirements is for municipalities to develop and implement a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) over the next four years. A SWMP, as described in the NPDES Permit, is a planning tool used to describe a municipality’s current implementation of the permit, as well as plans for implementing additional program elements. A SWMP is a living document that will be updated annually at a minimum. The Community Development staff is currently coordinating information and drafting elements of the SWMP. As draft elements of the SWMP become available they will be placed on this website for review and comments.

Public Participation - The City encourages public comments and participation in the development and implementation of the SWMP throughout the four year process. We plan to utilize the following venues in an effort to keep our residents informed on the progress of the SWMP, so they can provide comments and input as the SWMP develops: This addition to the City’s website was created to help educate resident and interested parties about the natural aspect of storm water and the effects of contaminants on water quality. Please continue to check out this section regularly for updated and additions. If you would like to know more about a particular stomacher topic or have any comments, question or ideas, please email Shailyn Malone at shailynm@cityofalgona.com

Phase II Permit Links: