Item A: Municipal Stormwater Permit Renewal

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Municipal Stormwater Permit Renewal Meeting Date: July 30, 2008 Agenda Item Number: A Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Therese Walch www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-8647 ISSUE STATEMENT a The City of Eugene holds a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for discharges from the municipal stormwater system to waters of the state. By September 2, 2008, the City will submit a permit renewal application to the Department of Environmental Quality, including a revised Stormwater Management Plan and revised Monitoring Plan. In light of specific permit renewal requirements, and as part of routine adaptive management, a review of the City’s stormwater program has been conducted. This work session is to update the City Council on the results of the program review and proposed program refinements. BACKGROUND Local Stormwater Policy In 1993, the Eugene City Council adopted the Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan (CSWMP) thereby establishing the policy framework for a comprehensive, multiple-objective approach to stormwater management. The impetus for CSWMP came from the need to meet the federal Clean Water Act mandates as well as other community values associated with stormwater such as protection of wetlands and waterways, stormwater conveyance, and flood control. CSWMP includes policies, goals, and implementation measures. The implementation measures are divided into two categories: best management practices (BMPs) submitted as part of the City’s NPDES permit and “other actions.” The BMPs are items the City committed to fulfill under the NPDES permit. The other actions are items the City desires to implement, but are not part of the NPDES requirements. NPDES Permit History to 2005 Evaluation The City of Eugene received its first municipal stormwater permit in 1994. The permit is a requirement of the Clean Water Act for communities of a certain size. Eugene is one of six large communities in Oregon issued permits under “Phase I” of the NPDES program. The other five communities are the City of Portland, Clean Water Services, City of Gresham, City of Salem, Clackamas County, and their co- permittees. In Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the responsible state agency for administering the NPDES program. The City’s NPDES permit includes monitoring and reporting requirements, and a set of best management practices that comprise the permit Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). a The full name of the permit is National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Discharge Permit. It is referred to as the municipal stormwater permit, NPDES permit, or MS4 permit. Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080730\S080730A.doc