Storm Water Phase II Rule of the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

June 2003

The Cecil County Department of Public Works announced today that it has submitted its Notice of Intent (NOI) to be included under the General Permit program of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).  The NPDES Storm Water Phase II Rule requires operators of small (pop. under 100,000) municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) to implement a storm water management program as a means to control polluted discharges from these systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required by Congress, under the Clean Water Act, to implement a two-phased national program, using the NPDES, for addressing the non-agricultural sources of storm water discharges which adversely affect the nation's waters.  The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) administers this program in Maryland on behalf of the EPA.

The Storm Water Phase II Rule of the NPDES specifies a program of six minimum control measures that each regulated jurisdiction shall implement and provides a menu of best management practices (BMPs) from which municipalities may choose in order to implement the program in the most appropriate manner.

Cecil County has already implemented many of the BMPs on the EPA's menu.  They include such measures as environmental educational programs implemented through the public school system, low impact development practices, improvements to the sanitary system to reduce sewer overflows during storm events, construction site runoff control and post-construction storm water management and recycling programs, among others.  Additional BMPs to be implemented will involve preparation of a map showing portions of the county's storm water system, preparation of a plan/program for identifying illicit discharges to the storm water system and a stepped up campaign to educate the public on how to help minimize contamination of storm water.

Questions may be addressed to Van Funk of the Department of Public Works at 410-996-5267 or by email at vfunk@ccgov.org.

Further information may be obtained by clicking the link below to the EPA's Stormwater website.         http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/swphases.cfm