NPDES Permits in New England
Small MS4 General Permit Update
(5/18/12)
2012 Small MS4 General Permits
EPA has issued three separate Draft Small MS4 General Permits for the Operators located in the state of New Hampshire and various watersheds in Massachusetts. The following is a list of the most recent schedules for each of the 2012 Permits for Storm Water Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in New Hampshire and Massachusetts:
- State of New Hampshire: EPA has revised its 2008 Draft New Hampshire Small MS4 Permit and will issue it as a new draft permit for public comment in the spring of 2012. Issuance of a final permit anticipated for spring 2012 will therefore be delayed until late 2012 or early 2013 to allow for the public to comment on the draft permit and for EPA to respond to those comments. A Notice of Availability for the new draft New Hampshire Small MS4 general permit will be published in the Federal Register as well as information about any scheduled public meetings or hearings. This webpage will be updated with the Federal Register publication date when it becomes available.
- North Coastal Watershed: The 2010 Draft Massachusetts North Coastal Small MS4 General Permit is available on EPA's "Draft Massachusetts North Coastal Small MS4 General Permit" webpage. The Draft Massachusetts North Coastal Small MS4 General Permit was published in the Federal Register and was available for public comment on February 4, 2010. EPA held a public hearing for the draft permit on March 18, 2010 and the public comment period ended March 31, 2010. EPA anticipates a Final Massachusetts North Coastal Small MS4 General Permit in the summer of 2012.
- Interstate, Merrimack and South Coastal Watersheds (IMS): The 2010 Draft Massachusetts Interstate, Merrimack and South Coastal Watersheds Small MS4 General Permit is available on EPA's "Draft Massachusetts Interstate, Merrimack and South Coastal Small MS4 General Permit" webpage and is accessible through EPA 1's NPDES Storm Water Permit Program webpage. The Draft Massachusetts Interstate, Merrimack and South Coastal Watersheds Small MS4 General Permit was published in the Federal Register and was available for public comment on February 15, 2011. EPA held a public meeting for the draft permit on March 9, 2011 and the public comment period ended March 11, 2011. EPA anticipates a Final IMS Small MS4 General Permit in the fall of 2012. Please note that the municipalities listed below should have been included in Appendix C "Areas Covered by this Permit" in the 2010 Draft Massachusetts Interstate, Merrimack and South Coastal Small MS4 General Permit. An updated list will be provided in the final issuance of the permit.
- Cape Cod - USCG Air Station Cape Cod
- Fall River
- Falmouth
- Fitchburg
- Framingham
- Freetown
- Gardner
- Grafton
- Granby
- Groton
- Groveland
- Hadley
- Halifax
- Hampden
- Hanover
- Hanson
- Hyannis
- Townsend
- Tyngsborough
- Upton
- Uxbridge
- West Boylston
- Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT): EPA anticipates issuing a separate individual small MS4 Permit for MassDOT with a draft available in the summer of 2012.
Anyone who wishes to receive information regarding a draft general permit should send their contact information to Glenda Velez (velez.glenda@epa.gov) with "Draft MS4 Information Request" indicated in the subject line.
The effective date of each final general permit will be no sooner than the date the final permit is signed and made publicly available. To obtain coverage, Operators will be required to submit a new Notice of Intent (NOI) for the permit for which they are eligible. EPA anticipates that NOIs will be due ninety (90) days after the effective date of each final permit.
The new draft Small MS4 General Permits released to date include the same six minimum control measures as the 2003 MS4 General Permit in addition to provisions to protect water quality standards. To improve the effectiveness of stormwater management programs and reduce the adverse effects of stormwater runoff on receiving waters, these draft permits include:
- enhanced illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE) requirements to identify, isolate and remove sanitary and other wastes from the stormwater system;
- water quality monitoring of stormwater discharges;
- encouragement of low impact development and green infrastructure techniques; and
- requirements designed to implement approved total maximum daily load (TMDL) waste load allocations (WLAs).
2003 Small MS4 General Permit
The 2003 Small MS4 General Permit expired May 1, 2008 but has been administratively continued.
Operators covered by the 2003 Small MS4 General Permit will remain covered until EPA authorizes their MS4 discharges under a new permit or otherwise revokes permit authorization.
The conditions and reporting requirements of the 2003 Small MS4 General Permit remains fully effective and enforceable until the effective date of a new permit.
Operators authorized under the 2003 Small MS4 General Permit are required to submit annual reports by May 1each year pursuant to Parts II.F, III.F, IV.F or V.F of the 2003 Permit. EPA does not anticipate completing any authorizations under new small MS4 permits by May 1, 2012. Therefore, Operators will be required to submit their ninth-year annual report by May 1, 2012 and should plan accordingly
Questions
2012 Small MS4 General Permits (and 2008-2011 drafts)
Thelma Murphy (murphy.thelma@epa.gov): (617) 918-1615
2003 Small MS4 General Permit Annual Reporting
Newton Tedder (tedder.newton@epa.gov): (617) 918-1038
2003 Small MS4 Permit Compliance
Andrew Spejewski (spejewski.andrew@epa.gov): (617) 918-1014