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Stormwater Compliance in King County
King County holds several National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits. The topic of the following information is the Municipal Stormwater Permit that King County holds, as issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
King County's Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit can be viewed on the Washington State Department of Ecology's website (external link).
King County's Stormwater Management Program Document
King County Stormwater Services Staff Directory
What is ahead (new permit and new regulations)?
Compliance Reporting Documents
Stormwater Management in the Region
From the Ecology Web site
(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/index.html#backgrnd3):
In 1987, congress changed the federal Clean Water Act by declaring the discharge of stormwater (traditionally considered a nonpoint source) from certain industries and municipalities to be a point source of pollution requiring National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES permits or water quality discharge permits. The state of Washington is delegated authority by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPS) to implement the water quality permit.
The EPA stormwater regulations establish two phases for the stormwater permit program. Phase I stormwater NPDES permits have been issued to cover stormwater discharges from certain industries, construction sites involving more five or more acres, and municipalities with a population of more than 100,000.
Stormwater discharges from industries and construction sites are regulated under separate general permits that were issued by Ecology in November 1995. The permits require the development and implementation of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). The SWPPP for construction sites is primarily a temporary erosion and sediment control plan. The SWPPP for industrial facilities is a documented plan to identify, prevent, and control the contamination of stormwater discharges.
The public entities that are covered under Phase I Municipal Stormwater NPDES permits in Washington State include:
The municipal stormwater permits require the implementation of a Stormwater Management Program. The Stormwater Management Program is a plan for the term of the permit to reduce the discharge of pollutants, reduce impacts to receiving waters, eliminate illicit discharges, and make progress towards compliance with surface water, ground water and sediment standards. Ecology is in the process of reissuing the municipal stormwater permits. Our proposal is to issue a single statewide general permit for Phase I municipal stormwater permit holders in the summer of 2000.
What is ahead (new permit and new regulations)?
From the Ecology Web site
(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/index.html#backgrnd3):
On October 29, 1999, the final Phase II stormwater regulations were signed into rule by EPA. The Phase II regulations expand the requirement for stormwater permits to all municipalities located in urbanized areas, and to construction sites between one and five acres. The rule also requires an evaluation of cities outside of urbanized areas that are more than 10,000 in population to determine if a permit is necessary for some or all of these cities. Under the new rule up to 90 additional municipalities in Washington may need municipal stormwater permits. The expansion of the construction site permit is likely to affect thousands of sites. Ecology currently issues approximately 500 construction stormwater permits a year. According to EPA rules Ecology must issue permits for all of Phase II by December 2002, and permit holders must have permit coverage by March 2003.
EPA rules require local governments to develop stormwater programs that address the following six main elements:
Current and anticipated federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Clean Water Act stormwater requirements are placing more demands on state and local governments for staffing and resources. Urban stormwater management represents a significant funding challenge for both local and state governments, as well as a potential outstanding liability due to third party actions.
Compliance Reporting Documents
As noted above, every agency with an NPDES permit is required to develop and implement a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). King County's SWMP for the Municipal General NPDES Permit will be posted on the web. King County prepares an annual report each year, updating the progress on implementing the programs and projects identified in the SWMP. These annual reports are archived on the web. See the link listed below.
Archived King County SWMP for the Municipal General Permit
Archived King County Annual Reports to Ecology
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