Item 2D - 2005 Leg.Policies Doc - Laserfiche WebLink

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The City is committed to addressing storm water pollution. The City has developed a comprehensive storm water management plan, and has applied for and received an NPDES permit for municipal storm water discharges. The City believes that additional requirements for storm water control should only be implemented following evaluation and documentation of the effectiveness of the management practices in the existing plan, and of the continuing need for water quality improvements. The City supports the use of resources to coordinate municipal urban storm water permitting activities between the regions of the state, including establishing procedures for storage and analysis of statewide storm water monitoring data. The City has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DEQ to administer portions of the Department's obligations under the industrial storm water program within the City limits. Included in the MOU is a cost-sharing formula for the permit fees associated with the program. The City is interested in exploring additional innovative partnership agreements with the state and local agencies for the effective implementation of the storm water regulations. c. Non-Point Sources National and state water quality monitoring data indicates that non-point sources contribute most of the remaining pollution to surface waters. The City contributed to and supports the Willamette River Basin Water Quality Study which identifies non-point source pollution in the Willamette Basin. The City believes that non-point sources must be considered and included when water quality management plans are developed in the Willamette Basin. The City supports the continued use of State resources to fund comprehensive basin studies of water quality, such as the Willamette River Basin Water Quality Study, and will continue to support related efforts such as the McKenzie River Watershed Council and the Long Tom Watershed Council. d. Innovative Approaches to Water Quality Management Significant future progress in solving the State's remaining water quality problems will require innovative solutions that go beyond the traditional "command and control" permit approaches. Solutions such as watershed management, pollution prevention, and pollution trading will require developing partnerships and incentives to achieve effective improvements to water quality. Strict liability and regulatory requirements currently do not allow the implementation of these flexible approaches. The City supports legislative and regulatory initiatives to facilitate development of new approaches to water quality management, such as effluent trading and ~green" permits. e. Water Quality Standards City of Eugene Legislative Policies, 2005 Session 45