The Stormwater Report

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has improved its Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox by adding an enhanced search feature and more content, including stormwater television, radio, and print ads. Related Posts:WEF Hosts Integrated Planning WebcastNew Hampshire Concrete Company To Resolve Alleged Clean Water Act ViolationsNational Stormwater Calculator Coming SoonU.S. EPA Issues Grant Guidelines and Draft National Water Program GuidanceU.S. [...]

On June 21, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry approved the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011 (H.R. 872). The goal of the bill is to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for pesticide applications that follow proper labeling and intended use requirements. The [...]

The threat of legal action by environmental groups is pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt strict nutrient criteria for the Mississippi River with the goal of resolving Gulf of Mexico hypoxia. The National Academy of Sciences has advised that EPA adopt numeric nutrient criteria, while many lawmakers are ready to fight more [...]

Local government and academic groups in Missouri recently filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenging a total maximum daily load (TMDL) promulgated for Hinkson Creek. Plaintiffs say that the TMDL requires flow reductions of 39.6% at peak conditions but does not identify pollutants of concern. According to plaintiffs, the general flow surrogate requires them [...]

The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, part of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, met June 24 to discuss the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) numeric nutrient criteria. The panel consisted of state environmental authorities and others. According to the T&I Committee, most states currently use narrative standards, which the committee says give [...]

The Philadelphia Water Department has signed Green Cities, Clean Water, an agreement to expand the city’s green infrastructure significantly during the next 25 years. The main goal is to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs), but the city has quantified other benefits such as park visits, ecosystem services, green jobs, and increased quality of life. The project will transform one-third of [...]

Under a consent decree resulting from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lawsuit, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will be expected to eliminate combined and sanitary sewer overflows from its 150-year-old collection system by 2033. The project costs are expected to total $4.7 billion, split between the city’s combined and sanitary sewers. A portion of [...]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a workshop on sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) July 14–15 in Washington, D.C. The workshop will focus on if and how the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) can address SSOs in a nationally consistent manner. The workshop will cover NPDES permitting of SSO notification and documentation; capacity, management, [...]

The public now has until July 11 to comment on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) draft Construction General Permit (CGP). The CGP regulates stormwater discharges from construction sites greater than 0.4 ha (1 ac) and small plots that are part of a larger planned development. The permit applies in states, territories, and tribal lands where [...]

The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) webcast Meeting the New Public Education Requirements of the Stormwater (MS4) Permit is now available on WEF’s YouTube Channel in nine 10-minute segments. The series, consisting of content from a WEF webcast held May 4, presents information designed to help small to mid‐size municipalities meet the newly required public education [...]