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Stormwater Pollution in Buzzards Bay

Sub-pages:   Stormwater Education  |   Low Impact Development  |   Stormwater Atlas  |   Phase II Info  |   Stormwater Mapping Collaborative  |   Stormwater Remediation Projects  |   Unified Stormwater Regulations for Towns

Announcement: We have updated our model Local Unified Stormwater Regulations

Go to our Storm Regulations or click this link to open the unified regs as a 172 kb pdf file.

Info on the EPA-DEP Phase II Stormwater Permit Program

On December 8, 1999, EPA published in the Federal Register the "Phase II Final Rule" for the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The rule expanded jurisdiction of who must file permits for stormwater discharges in the NPDES "point source" pollution permit program. In 1992, Phase I of the program required for the first time the permitting of stormwater discharges to federal wetlands. In Phase II of the program, permit coverage expanded to include storm water discharges from:

"Certain regulated small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s); and Construction activity disturbing between 1 and 5 acres of land (i.e., small construction activities)" and "revises the 'no exposure' exclusion and the temporary exemption for certain industrial activities."

In plain English, the rule required municipalities to submit permit applications for their road stormwater discharges, as well as "industrial facilities" like DPW garages, waste transfer stations, land fills, and sewage treatment plants (separate from the wastewater discharge permit).

The Buzzards Bay NEP created a web page to help municipalities (and others) with that process. Go to our Phase II web page for more information. In New England, the Phase II program was delayed, and MS4 permits were not due until July 31, 2003. Of 167 applicable Massachusetts municipalities, only 8 did not meet this deadline, but all have subsequently submitted their permit applications.

The Phase II story is not over, however. In the application, the municipalities agreed to develop and implement their Phase II plan over the next five years, and much municipal effort must be directed to this program to make it succeed. Most notably, DPW's must map their stormwater discharge networks, and planning boards must update their stormwater regulations to meet the needs of the program.

Buzzards Bay NEP's Stormwater Atlas Project

For the past several year's, the Buzzards Bay NEP has been mapping stormwater discharges to Buzzards Bay and along streams near the coast. As a result of this project, more than 2500 discharge pipes and road cuts, together with nearly 12,000 contributing catch basins have been inventoried and translated into a geographic information system.

More information on the Atlas of Stormwater Discharges to Buzzards Bay

Low Impact Development (LID) Stormwater Management Practices

Forty foot wide road layouts in one to three acre subdivisions, coupled with piped stormwater treatment practices adopted in the 1980s and 1990s are causing more loss of habitat, water quality problems, and infra structure maintenance issues than anyone anticipated. Is there a better way?

Yes. It is called "Low Impact Development" (LID), and the new philosophy is causing Buzzards Bay watershed environmental managers and municipal Planning Boards to rethink their local subdivision regulations and environmental bylaws.

Visit the BBP's Low Impact Development page.

9/30/02 Slide Show Presentation to Wareham Planning Board on Low Impact Development (LID)

This is a thumbnail version of the slides in a pdf file. It is 768 kb. We are working on a smaller web page summary. Stay tuned. This slide show was based on a PowerPoint presentation developed by the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team.

Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team LID Information

Other Stormwater Topics

What is the "Geometric Mean" and how to calculate it (used for swimming beach and shellfish bed closures)

Shellfish bed closures continue decline.
The hard work of Buzzards Bay municipalities and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries to address stormwater and other pollution problems continues to contribute to declines in shellfish bed closures in Buzzards Bay. The Project has been pleased to contribute to this effort through our grant and technical assistance programs.

The BBP's model Stormwater Bylaws.
In January 1996, the Buzzards Bay NEP circulated model Municipal Bylaws to help Planning Boards, Conservation Commissions and Boards of Health better manage stormwater discharges. Here is the report we issued. Several towns have already adopted our approach.

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LINKS TO RELATED SITES

EPA Stormwater TMDLs Site.

MA DEP stormwater regulations.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection New Stormwater Regulations Page.

MA DEP stormwater regulations.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Wetlands and Waterways division released stormwater guidance for Conservation Commissions for evaluating stormwater discharges pursuant to the State's wetland Protection Act.

StormWaterCenter.net Site

National BMP Case Study Database

Metropolitan Council Urban Small Sites Best Management Practice Manual

Watersheds Urban Stormwater Site

EPA Stormwater BMP fact sheets

The US EPA's CEIT Storm Water Technology "Trade Show" Page

CICEET Stormwater Center
CICEET has a launched the Center for Stormwater Technology Evaluation and Verification, located at the University of New Hampshire. The center conducts field testing of stormwater treatment technologies and offers workshops for those developing and implementing stormwater management plans. For more information, and a schedule of workshops, visit their site.

Reference Documents and Data

Cornell University's Atlas of Precipitation Extremes for the Northeastern United States and Canada (5 MB pdf file).

Daily Rainfall Data from the UMass Cranberry Experiment Station, 1988-1998 (Excel file). Prepared by the Buzzards Bay NEP.

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