Our stormwater code protects people, property, and the environment by controlling how rain water runs off of streets, buildings, and parking lots. This stormwater runoff can cause flooding, landslides, and erosion that can damage our homes, businesses, and property. Stormwater is also the main source for pollutants in our creeks, lakes, bays, and other waterways.
Urban areas that collect stormwater runoff in municipal separate storm sewers (MS4s) and discharge it to surface waters must have a permit under the federal Clean Water Act. The Department of Ecology develops and administers National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) municipal stormwater permits in Washington State.
The Department of Ecology is requiring Seattle to update our current codes with additional stormwater control regulations as a condition of our NPDES permit. To meet these requirements, we are revising our existing Stormwater Code (SMC 22.800-22.808) and the associated Directors’ Rules. These new rules will replace the current drainage control code and Directors’ Rules which are administered jointly by DPD and Seattle Public Utilities.
The actual code changes are still to be determined. However, our regulations must be equivalent to Ecology’s NPDES 2012 Stormwater Manual. Our updates will address the following topics:
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Public education, outreach, and involvement
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Illicit discharge detection & elimination
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Construction site stormwater runoff control
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Pollution prevention, good housekeeping, and operation and maintenance
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Post-construction stormwater management for new development and redevelopment, including low impact development
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Monitoring
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Structural stormwater controls
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Source control
Timelines
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August 1, 2012: The Department of Ecology reissued the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase I Municipal permit
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August 1, 2013 through July 31, 2018: Our NPDES permit is effective
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June 2015: Our updated Stormwater Code and related Director’s Rules are scheduled to take effect
For more information, a survey, and frequently asked questions, visit our Stormwater Code website at www.seattle.gov/dpd/codes/stormwatercode/Overview/.
You can submit comments and join the Stormwater Code listserv by sending an email to stormwatercode@seattle.gov.