Storm Water Pollution Prevention - Overview

Storm water runoff from residential, commercial, and industrial areas is responsible for 21 percent of impaired lakes and 45 percent of impaired estuaries in the United States. In addition, in the Mid-Atlantic Region alone, storm water is responsible for 5,265 miles of impaired streams.

These impacts are caused not only by the quality of runoff (storm water contains heavy metals, bacteria, pesticides, suspended solids, nutrients, and floatable materials), but also by its quantity, as a high volume of flow contributes to erosion and sedimentation, and impacts aquatic habitats.

For these reasons, the Clean Water Act was amended in 1987 to require implementation of a comprehensive national program for addressing storm water discharges. In response to the 1987 amendments, EPA developed the NPDES Storm Water Program and, on November 16, 1990, EPA issued Phase I of its storm water regulations. The Phase I storm water regulations require facilities who (1) discharge to waters of the United States and (2) engage in industrial activities, including construction activity of over 5 acres of land, to perform the following:

• Obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Coverage from the appropriate state or federal permitting authorities; Region 3 State Contacts (for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia) are as follows:
  
• Develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP)
  
• Implement Best Management Practices (BMPs), including structural and operational controls, to prevent the migration of pollutants (including sediments) off-site via storm water runoff.

Phase II of these regulations will require construction sites between 1 and 5 acres to perform the above by March of 2003.

Sector Pages with Sample SWPP (Storm water Pollution Prevention) Plans and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Each Sector

• Auto Salvage Yards
• Scrap and Recycling Facilities
• Ready Mix Concrete Plants
• Marinas
• Transportation Facilities
• Airports
• Construction Sites

Learn More About:

Compliance Assistance for Region III Small Businesses

Listing of Common Storm Water Pollutants, their environmental impacts and examples of BMPs

Steps in developing SWPPP

Green Communities

Mid-Atlantic Region | Mid-Atlantic Water Protection | Consumer Confidence Reports - Your Local Drinking Water

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