HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 City Stormwater Permit and Activities Update AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 5/13/2013
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Bill Hamann, DPW
Staff Phone No: 541-726-3693
Estimated Time: 30 minutes
S P R I N G F I E L D
C I T Y C O U N C I L
Council Goals: Promote and Enhance
our Hometown Feel
while Focusing on
Livability and
Environmental Quality
ITEM TITLE: CITY STORMWATER PERMIT AND ACTIVITIES UPDATE
ACTION
REQUESTED:
No action is required. This material is for information only.
ISSUE
STATEMENT:
Development and Public Works Staff last updated Council on stormwater education
activities during a September 17, 2012 Council work session. This item will
provide Council with further updates on City stormwater activities as requested
after that work session. It will also help to fulfill City Council communication
requirements stipulated in our Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). Areas of
focus for today’s work session include a brief stormwater refresher, a report on the
status of the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Municipal Separate Stormwater System (MS4) Permit, an overview of our Illicit
Discharges Detection and Elimination (IDDE) program and an overview of selected
outreach efforts with our regional partners.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Council Briefing Memorandum
DISCUSSION: NPDES Permit: The City’s initial NPDES Phase II MS4 stormwater discharge
permit was issued in Jan 2007 with an expiration date in Dec 2011. The City filed a
timely permit renewal permit application with the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) in June 2011 and is currently operating under an
administratively extended permit. The City has disagreed with the overall approach
and much of the language in the proposed draft permit. As such, the City of
Springfield, along with other affected cities in Oregon, has partnered with the
Oregon Association of Water Quality Agencies (ORACWA) and DEQ to develop a
more workable permit template.
Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination (IDDE): The City responds to and
enforces illegal discharges to the stormwater system. The public can call the City’s
Water Pollution Hotline or email city staff to report stormwater pollution issues and
illegal dumping. Staff responds to all reports. Education is the first step in gaining
compliance, and staff has developed Clean Water Fact Sheets and many other
outreach programs for common pollution issues encountered in the field.
Public Education & Outreach on Stormwater Impacts: Education and outreach
is a part of all City stormwater programs. To make the most of limited budget and
staff, the City works with regional partners on outreach efforts. Outreach partners
include the City of Eugene, Springfield Utility Board, Willamalane, Lane County,
EWEB, and others. Interagency collaboration ensures consistent messaging and
makes it easier for businesses to operate within Eugene, Springfield, and Lane
County. Springfield implements many outreach efforts with its regional partners.
Examples include the Fish Friendly Car Wash Kit Program, Pet Waste Program,
and the Pressure Washing Program.
Attachment 1 – Page 1 of 2
M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield
Date: 5/13/2013
COUNCIL
BRIEFING
MEMORANDUM
To: Gino Grimaldi, City Manager
From: Len Goodwin, DPW Director
Bill Hamann, ESD Water Programs Manager
Meghan Murphy, ESD Stormwater Tech II
Kim Singleton, ESD Stormwater Tech II
Subject: City Stormwater Activities Update
ISSUE:
The purpose of this item is to provide Council with an update on select City stormwater
activities. Areas of focus for today’s work session include a brief stormwater refresher, a report
on the status of the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal
Separate Stormwater System (MS4) Permit, an overview of our Illicit Discharges Detection and
Elimination (IDDE) program and an overview of our outreach efforts with regional partners.
COUNCIL GOALS/MANDATE:
Preserve Hometown Feel, Livability, and Environmental Quality
Stormwater management activities promote Springfield’s livability and environmental quality,
and are required by the City’s MS4Permit.
BACKGROUND:
NPDES Permit status
Springfield is among many small to medium-sized cities throughout the nation that fall under the
Federal Clean Water Act requirements to apply for and maintain an MS4 Permit under Phase II
of the NPDES stormwater permitting program. The City’s initial NPDES Phase II MS4
stormwater discharge permit was issued in January 2007 with an expiration date in December
2011.
The City filed a timely permit renewal permit application with the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ) in June 2011 and is currently operating under an administratively
extended permit, pending permit renewal and DEQ approval. A preliminary draft of the new
permit was provided to the City for review in July 2012.
In developing this draft, the DEQ attempted to incorporate most aspects of our previously
separate Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) into the permit (note that Springfield happened
to be the first Phase II city in the state to receive the revised permit language). This resulted in a
very prescriptive, complex and administratively cumbersome permit. In response, the City has
disagreed with the overall approach and much of the language in the proposed draft.
Most Phase II communities in the state identified similar issues with the draft language. As
such, the City of Springfield, along with other affected cities in Oregon, has partnered with the
Oregon Association of Water Quality Agencies (ORACWA) and DEQ to develop a more
workable permit template. We are currently in the process of negotiating provisions of the
revised draft language with our regional partners and DEQ. It isn’t possible to speculate how
successful we will be in securing more workable language.
Attachment 1 – Page 2 of 2
SWMP Minimum Control Measure 3: Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination (IDDE):
The City responds to and enforces illegal discharges to the stormwater system. The public can
call the City’s Water Pollution Hotline or email city staff to report stormwater pollution issues
and illegal dumping. Staff responds to all reports. Education is the first step in gaining
compliance, and staff has developed Clean Water Fact Sheets and many other outreach programs
for common pollution issues encountered in the field. So far, those programs have proved highly
successful. In the past two years out of 283 reported incidents, staff issued 2 citations.
Water Resources and Operations work together to provide effective and efficient response to
spills and illicit discharges. City staff are a great resource for discovering illicit discharges in the
field. In addition, Water Resources actively searches for illicit discharges through monitoring
and outfall inventories.
SWMP Minimum Control Measure 1: Public Education & Outreach on Stormwater
Impacts:
Education and outreach is a part of all City stormwater programs. Illicit discharges encountered
in the field help identify activities and target audiences that are in need of outreach. To make the
most of limited budget and staff, the City works with regional partners on outreach efforts.
Outreach partners include the City of Eugene, Springfield Utility Board, Willamalane, Lane
County, EWEB, and many other agencies. Interagency collaboration ensures consistent
messaging and makes it easier for businesses to operate within Eugene, Springfield, and Lane
County.
Springfield implements many outreach efforts with its regional partners. Examples include the
Fish Friendly Car Wash Kit Program, Pet Waste Program, and the Pressure Washing Program.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: None, this memorandum is information only