Municipal Stormwater Resources

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​​WA Department of Ecology BMP webpage

• Public Education and Outreach - Guidance for permittees and resources on stormwater public education and outreach. 
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination- Resources and guidance on IDDE for local stormwater managers. 
• Construction Site Runoff Control - Integration between the construction and municipal stormwater permits. 
• Operation and Maintenance for Municipal Operations - Resources and guidance for local stormwater managers implementing permit requirements for operation and maintenance of municipal storm sewer systems. 
• Runoff/Flow Controls for New Development, Redevelopment, and Construction Sites - Resources and guidance for local stormwater managers. 
• Low Impact Development - How to update municipal code, plan for LID, review LID proposals, maintain constructed LID practices, and generally support LID in your community. 
• Monitoring - Regional Stormwater Monitoring Program for western Washington, history of monitoring under the municipal permit, and documents such as Quality Assurance Project Plans.

​The MS4 Phase II general permit authorizes stormwater discharges from small MS4s located with an Urbanized Area in accordance with the Phase II of the federal stormwater rules (40 Code of Federal Regulations 122.32). In 2012, the Census Bureau published the final listing of urbanized areas for the 2010 Census. An urbanized area is a densely settled territory with a population of at least 50,000 people.

MS4s that are located within the new urbanized area boundaries are subject to stormwater regulation, unless waivers are submitted and approved by DEQ. The 2010 Census delineated 12 new jurisdictions that they may now subject to the stormwater program. DEQ approved five waivers. The seven remaining communities will be required to apply for permit coverage under the stormwater program.

• ​Albany
• Eagle Point
• Grants Pass
• Millersburg
• Rogue River
• Josephine County
• Linn County

• ​Gold Hill
• Jefferson
• Milton-Freewater
• Tangent
• Umatilla County

​​​There are two waiver options available to communities of automatically designated small MS4s if discharges do not cause or have the potential to cause, water quality impairment. For more information, EPA generated a new MS4 fact sheet.