Highlights and Big Ideas of Washington’s Municipal Stormwater Permits

Description

With a strong regulatory history, and highly visible and important water resources to protect – Washington state’s municipal stormwater permits rely upon an encompassing, and in some cases novel, approach to stormwater management. Highlights of the newly reissued 2019 permits include:

• Stormwater planning as a tool for water quality management and watershed health
• Incorporating environmental justice into Stormwater Management Programs
• Source control inspections for existing businesses on a regional basis
• Stormwater retrofits…
• Community based social marketing approach to education and outreach

These new requirements build upon a solid regulatory foundation that:

• requires Low Impact Development to be the preferred and commonly used approach in western Washington,
• includes a permitee-funded regional stormwater monitoring program that tracks the status and trends of receiving waters, and studies the effectiveness of BMPs, and
• provides up-to-date guidance through stormwater management manuals.

A large part of the success is due to the regional collaboration, funding, as well as the state and local partnerships all working towards the goal of clean water.