Transcript Introduction to Storm Water Phase II

Introduction to
Storm Water Phase II
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection
Who Am I?
Keith Dudley, P.E.
 10 Years, PADEP, Water Management,
Permits Section
 Job Duties:
 NPDES Permits
 Storm Water Phase I Permits
 Storm Water Phase II Permits

Who Are You?
Environmental Advisory Council Members?
 Environmental/Watershed Organization
Members?
 Municipal Officials?
 Township Engineers?
 Others?

Storm Water – What Is It?
Surface runoff from a rain or snow event.
 Flows in natural or man-made collection
systems.
 Nature: meadows/forests > swales >
wetlands/streams > rivers > ocean.
 Man-made: parking lots, roofs, roads >
gutters/curbs > storm pipes > stream.

Nature – Before We Build
Soaks into ground for use by plants/trees.
 Vegetation and soil act as a filter, removing
sediment and slowing speed of water.
 Water is infiltrated to recharge groundwater
aquifers for drinking wells and builds base
flow for rivers.

Humans – After We Build
Asphalt, Concrete & Buildings =
Impervious Surfaces (water can’t soak in).
 Increase in runoff quantity.
 Increase in pollution of runoff.
 Decrease in groundwater recharge.
 Results in downstream habitat destruction
and flooding.

We’re Starting To Get It!
Realize we need to change the way we’ve
been handling storm water.
 Treat it as a resource, NOT a nuisance.
 Change is sometimes long & slow.
 Started with environmental groups > federal
government > states > municipalities.

Storm Water Regulations


Phase I – EPA 1990, PADEP 1992
 Largest cities first (Philadelphia & Allentown)
 Industrial sites (ten categories)
 Construction sites (> 5 acres)
Phase II – EPA 1999, PADEP 2003
 Designated small MS4s
 Construction sites (> 1 acre)
What’s a Designated Small MS4?
Designated = >1000 people per square mile
and located near an urbanized area
(Philadelphia, Trenton & Wilmington)
 Small = less than 100,000 people
 MS4 = Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
System (M + four S’s)

Separate Storm Sewer System
Series of curbs, gutters, ditches, channels,
pipes or any other means of conveying
water, that was specifically put in place to
handle only storm water runoff.
 Does NOT include combined or separate
sanitary sewers.
 Parts can be natural. (i.e. pipe to swale)

What is Goal of Phase II?
Protect the environment from negative
effects of runoff from human activities.
 Another step towards meeting the
requirements of the Clean Water Act of
1972.
 Catch some of the problems we missed with
Phase I.

How Can We Meet this Goal?
Develop a comprehensive storm water
management program for each watershed.
 Design the program using today’s
technology and knowledge.
 Implement the program.
 Maintain the program.

What Will the Program Do?

Reduce the discharge of pollutants
(including increased quantity) from a
designated separate storm sewer system to
the “maximum extent practicable.”
Watershed? MS4?



Watershed – natural drainage basin formed by
landscape.
For a program to work we need to all play by the
same rules and to cooperate.
Here’s where it gets tricky.
 Multiple municipalities within each watershed.
 Multiple watersheds within a municipality.
How Will Watershed Thing
Work?
Not sure, still figuring it out.
 ~171 designated small MS4s in SE region.
 ~10 watersheds in SE region.
 PADEP’s policy not finalized yet.
 State didn’t receive any $$ to run Phase II.
 Most MS4s won’t receive any $$ either.

Best Bet is to Share Cost!
Example: 10 MS4s within a watershed.
 Cost of Storm Water Management
Program (includes plan, implementation
& maintenance)
 Divided by 10 MS4s
 Each MS4 only pays one tenth.
 All runoff within one watershed should be
handled by same rules (i.e. master plan).

Coordination/Cooperation
It up to municipalities to work together.
 Not mandatory according to regulations.
 We think it makes the most sense, both
financially and in how effective the program
will work.
 PADEP will help facilitate cooperation
wherever possible. (see handouts)

What’s Required by the Regs?
Designated MS4s must submit Phase II
application by March 2003.
 Application is documentation of how
discharge of pollutants will be reduced by
the “maximum extent practicable.”

Maximum Extent Practicable
Develop Storm Water Management
Program.
 Periodically evaluate your program.
 Proper record keeping.
 Reports to PADEP.

Storm Water Management
Program
Specify BMPs for the Six Minimum
Control Measures.
 Specify measurable goals for the Six
Minimum Control Measures.
 Provide an implementation schedule.
 Identify responsible person or entity.

What’s a BMP?
Best Management Practice.
 Schedule of activities, prohibition of
practices, maintenance procedures and/or
the use of pollution control devices to
reduce discharge of pollution in storm
water.
 Includes “Paper” and “Physical” BMPs.

Six Minimum Control Measures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination.
Construction Site Runoff Control.
Post-construction Runoff Management.
Pollution Prevention @ Mun. Operations.
Public Education and Outreach.
Public Involvement and Participation.
PADEP to the Rescue!
Storm Water Phase II “Kit.”
 Generic program that addresses all six
minimum control measures.
 Draft out to public by April…..maybe.
 MS4s can adopt “as is” or can use parts they
like and change parts they don’t like.

What Can You Do To Help?
Assist municipal officials with all parts of
storm water management program.
 Read through PADEP’s Phase II “Kit.”
 Read all about Phase II from other sources.
 Get involved with Public Education and
Outreach activities.
 Foster cooperation within watersheds.

Ideas to Get Across…
Proper use/storage/disposal of chemicals.
 Keep clean rainfall away from pollutants.
 Preserve pervious surfaces.
 Intelligent land use planning.
 Post-construction runoff equal to preconstruction runoff.

This is a Good Program!

Many benefits of proper storm water
management:
 Decreased flooding.
 Improved surface water quality.
 Improved groundwater situation.
 Improved animal habitats.
 Land preservation.
The End.