Stormwater Quality Management Requirements
In 1990, the federal government amended the Clean Water Act adding stormwater quality management requirements to city government water pollution control regulations.
Phases
- Phase 1: Larger cities with a population over 100,000
- Phase 2: All the cities in Galveston County including the urbanized areas of the unincorporated county except Jamaica Beach
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System
Phase 2 of the stormwater management program requires operators of a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) in urbanized areas to implement programs and practices to control polluted stormwater runoff.
Operators
Cities, counties, the State of Texas, Drainage Districts, colleges, and universities are all operators. As an operator of a MS4, the City of Dickinson applied for a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that authorizes it to discharge its stormwater from the storm sewer system into the waters of the State of Texas.
Storm Water Management Plan
Under this permit, Dickinson is required to control to the “maximum extent practicable” pollutants contained in these storm waters. Dickinson was also required to draft a
Stormwater Management Plan (PDF) recently submitted to satisfy the federal stormwater mandate.
The StormWater Management Plan (SWMP) contains elements called minimum control measures that when implemented should result in a significant reduction in pollutants discharged into receiving waters.
5 Minimum Control Measures
- Public Education, Outreach and Involvement
- Illegal Discharge Detection and Elimination
- Control of Construction Runoff
- Post-Construction Stormwater Management
- Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping
City Inspections
The City of Dickinson receives and inspects various types of drainage and stormwater concerns including but not limited to:
- Blocked or overgrown ditches
- Construction erosion
- Greywater
- Illegal dumping on land and waterways
- Illicit discharges into waterways
- Sewage overflows and spills