NPDES STORM WATER PROGRAM
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s)

NOTE: Several links take you to other sites, you may have to back up or close the new window to return to this page. Many of the guidance documents, permits, etc. available on-line are in "PDF" format and require you to install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view/print the document.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT:

• MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!
  • NEW:15th Annual Region 6 Stormwater Conference will be in New Orleans, LA June 16 - 21, 2013
  • Save the date! MS4 Conference 2013 (PDF)(117KB,1pp)
  • Call for papers, 15th Annual Stormwater Conference, New Orleans, LA June 16 - 21, 2013 (PDF)(267KB,1pp)
    

• STORM WATER HOT TOPICS?
  
  
• NEW: Proposed Middle Rio Grande Watershed Based MS4 General Permit No. NMR04A000
  
• Construction and Development Effluent Limitation Guidelines Issued
• EPA Starts Work on Regulations to Control Post Construction Stormwater
• NOIs for Public Comment
• General Permit for Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (sMS4s) in New Mexico and Indian Country in New Mexico and Oklahoma issued.
• The entire NPDES Storm Water Program (both Phase I & Phase II)?
• The MS4 program?
• The Region 6 MS4 Operators' Conferences?
• EPA's Phase II Compliance Assistance Guide? (PDF) (1.5MB, 97pp)
• Helpful Links & Resources for MS4 Operators
• Information on Census 2000 Urbanized Areas for Region 6 Small MS4s
• Region 6 Water Enforcement Branch Storm Water web page
• Resource List for Stormwater Management Programs (PDF) (113KB, 8pp)
  
          

  Draft Middle Rio Grande Watershed Based MS4 General Permit No NMR04A000
  
  The Director of EPA Region 6 Water Quality Protection Division is proposing for public comment the issuance of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit for storm water discharges from municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) located in the Middle Rio Grande Watershed in the State of New Mexico.  This permit is intended to replace both the individual NPDES Permit NMS000101 issued on January 31, 2012 and the expired general permits NMR040000 and NMR04000I for dischargers in this watershed area. Note that a separate general permit action(s) will be undertaken in the near future to replace the general permits for coverage elsewhere within the State of New Mexico and on Indian Country Lands located within New Mexico. Comments must be submitted in written on or before July 1, 2013.
  
  Public Meetings and Public Hearing: 
  
  On April 13, 2013, EPA Region 6 published a notice in the Albuquerque Journal that the Agency will be holding two informal public meetings and one public hearing in the Albuquerque metropolitan area in the dates and times provided below:
  
  Meeting and Hearing:
  EXPO New Mexico, African American Performing Art Center (AAPAC) Auditorium
  300 San Pedro Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
  Time:   Public Meeting from 6:00 pm; Public Hearing from 7:30 pm
  Date:   May 14, 2013

  Meeting Only:            
  USDA Building, First Floor Conference Room
  6200 Jefferson St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109
  Time:   Public Meeting at 1:00 pm; 
  Date:    May 15, 2013

  Federal Register Notice (PDF)(199KB,2pp)
  Proposed Permit (PDF)(1021KB,85pp)
  Proposed Fact Sheet (PDF)(1.15MB,78pp)

               
      

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HELPFUL LINKS FOR MS4 OPERATORS

An Internet Guide to Financing Stormwater Management

Storm Water Manager's Resource Center

National Storm Water BMP Database

EPA's Storm Water Phase II Menu of Best Management Practices (BMPs)

EPA's Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection

The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) and Dr. Robert Pitt (Univ. of Alabama) recently completed the Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Guidance Manual, prepared under an EPA cooperative agreement. The final guidance has just been posted on two web sites - www.cwp.org (scroll down on right hand side) and www.stormwatercenter.net (on left menu select program resources and illicit discharges) and is free to download. This guidance is particularly useful for Phase II NPDES MS4 communities and others seeking to establish IDDE programs and investigate non-storm water entries into storm drainage systems. The manual also has application for Phase I communities looking to modify existing programs, and for groups interested in conducting public outreach and awareness activities as part of watershed restoration projects.

On December 6, 2005, EPA released the National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Urban Areas. This comprehensive document will help local governments and others protect water resources from polluted runoff that can result from everyday activities and urban development. The guidance will also help municipalities and other regulated entities implement their Phase I and Phase II NPDES Stormwater programs. This publication includes voluntary guidance on 12 management measures designed to prevent and control runoff pollutants from urban and suburban lands. The management measures cover topics such as watershed assessment and protection runoff from new and existing development, road networks, and construction sites septic system impacts pollution prevention and inspection and maintenance of urban runoff management practices. This new guidance document is available at www.epa.gov/owow/nps/urbanmm.