Background and History of the City’s Stormwater Program
Background and History of the City’s Stormwater Program
In 1972 and 1987, Congress amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) to reduce the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States (US).
In response to the 1972 amendment, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which required permit authorization for specific activities, such as wastewater treatment facilities and industrial plants.
In response to the 1987 amendment, the EPA initiated a two-phase approach to stormwater in order to further reduce the discharge of pollutants into waters of the US.
Phase I began in 1990 and required large municipalities and large construction sites to obtain permit coverage for storm water discharges.
Phase II began in 1999 and required small municipalities and small construction sites to obtain permit coverage for storm water discharges.
Because of the permit requirements, the EPA delegated regulatory authority to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to issue permits through the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES).
In August of 2007, the TCEQ issued TPDES General Permit No. TXR040000 for storm water discharges from cities in Texas with a population <100,000 and within an urbanized area.
Within 180 days, the City of Sugar Land obtained permit coverage and developed a five year Storm Water Management Program (SWMP).
The City of Sugar Land SWMP follows six minimum control measures (MCM), which outline how the City will reduce the discharge of pollutants and maintain compliance with the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.
The minimum control measures include:
Public Education, Outreach, and Involvement
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment
Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations
Industrial Stormwater Sources
The SWMP is a detailed guide on how the City and its residents will do their part to reduce the discharge of pollutants into the surrounding surface waters.
The TCEQ does not have a mandate to fund the execution of the MCMs outlined within the SWMP.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the permit holder (COSL) to fund the Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) and keep compliance with the MS4 permit.
Current Storm Water Program activities include:
TCEQ Storm Water Management Plan compliance
Existing Drainage system Operations and Maintenance
Storm Inlet Inspection and cleaning
Mosquito Spraying
Mosquito trapping and testing
Drainage ditch flow monitoring equipment and maintenance