In March 2003, the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II regulations became effective for small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4’s), including the Village of Youngstown. The NPDES Phase II program is being administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) through the State Pollution Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) program. The Phase II program seeks to eliminate stormwater pollution through the implementation of six “Minimum Control Measures,” that each municipality must address. The program is set up to phase in the full implementation of the program over five years such that in March 2008, each municipality must have a fully-developed MS4 program in place.
The Stormwater Phase II regulatory program is an unfunded mandate on select MS4’s. However, the WNY Stormwater Coalition (Coalition), run by the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (ECDEP), and including Niagara County, has been established to share the burden among participating municipalities for implementing the Phase II program. The Coalition has been successful in securing grant funding to help implement many of the Minimum Control Measures, and through its shared efforts, has significantly reduced the financial burden on any one municipality.
Briefly, the six Minimum Control Measures that must be addressed as part of an MS4’s Phase II program are as follows:
I. Public Education and Outreach on Stormwater Impacts
II. Public Involvement/Participation
III. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
IV. Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
V. Post-Construction Stormwater Management
VI. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations
Each year, the Village is required to submit to NYSDEC an annual report describing its accomplishments and verifying that it is on track for full implementation by March of 2008. The Village Engineer, TVGA Consultants (TVGA), has been assisting the Village in meeting its measurable goals. To review the Village’s Year 3 Annual Report, please click on the link. [PDF required for link]
The Village office on Lockport Street, as well as the Youngstown Public Library, contains literature for public citizens that is intended to be educational on the problems and solutions of stormwater pollution. Please stop by one of these locations and retrieve your copy of this information.
For specific inquiries, you can send an email to younstownstormwater@tvga.com.