Storm Water Quality

Special Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Since April 2004, the Oklahoma City Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility sponsors bi-annual special collection events allowing residents the opportunity to properly dispose of tires, computers and ammunition.  The events are held at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.  During the latest event held October 10th, 192 City residents disposed of 1189 tires, 3700 rounds of ammunition and 9,181 pounds of e-waste.  

 The next special collection event will be held in April 17th, 2010. 

CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP

The City of Oklahoma City is a member of the Central Oklahoma Storm Water Alliance (COSWA). This alliance is a coalition of all surrounding Phase 1 and Phase 2 communities and other agencies.  Phase 1 communities are cities with over 100,000 in population.  Phase 2 communities are cities with over 50,000, but less than 100,000 in population or are adjacent to or totally encompassed by a Phase 1 city.  The other agencies are the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA).  On October 23, 2009, COSWA held their fall construction workshops with 116 in attendance.  This workshop covered the latest requirements for Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP) for construction activities.  COSWA brought in Attorney Rebecca Scott and JW Lemons with Stormwater Environmental Compliance Alliance (SECA) to speak on SWPPP requirements.  Rebecca covered the legal aspects of the SWPPP and JW spoke on the Best Management Practices (BMP) selection for construction activities.  These talks cover everything from SWPPP’s being a “Living Documents” to inspection reporting and using the right BMP for the job.  One thing that was stressed for inspection reporting was that the permittee needs to document, document, document.  “If it is not documented, it never happened”.  Please be looking for the next workshop which will be held in the Spring of 2010.        

INDUSTRIAL WORKSHOP The Industrial Workshops that were held October 20th and October 22nd were very successful as 124 industrial business representatives were there as well as 8 vendors.  Glorious door prizes, coffee and donuts were provided. There were 29 new attendee’s alongside companies there for refresher ideas.  The Industrial Section Head, Jeremy Coffey would like to thank his staff consisting of Rebecca Dallen, Kevin Bahjat, Dale Bruns and Buck Pearson for their outstanding presentations and professionalism.  Despite the rainy weather on the 22nd, the attendees rated the workshops as 38% were Highly Satisfied, 47% were Very Satisfied and 15% were Satisfied with the outcome of the workshop.  All surveys have been reviewed and anyone requesting additional information or copies of the presentations has been responded to.

The Cosmetic Cleaning Workshop that was held on October 22^nd was also successful as 26 business representatives were there as well as 4 vendors.  This was a new workshop for this Industrial Section and all the presentations and videos seemed well organized and thought out.  The information provided seemed pertinent to the cosmetic cleaning industry and was well received. The attendees rated the workshops as 39% were Highly Satisfied, 35% were Very Satisfied and 26% were Satisfied with the outcome of the workshop.  All surveys have been reviewed and anyone requesting additional information or copies of the presentations has been responded to.

City warns residents not to release swimming pool water into storm drains:

 
As swim season winds down swimming pool owners preparing to drain their pool are reminded that it is illegal to discharge chlorinated pool water down their neighborhood storm drain. 

 According to Storm Water Quality supervisor Raymond Melton, water that flows from neighborhoods down storm drains is not filtered before it flows into the Canadian River, South Canadian River, Deer Creek basin and Deep Fork basin.   

 “Native fish and small aquatic life living in our rivers don’t have a tolerance for even the smallest amounts of chlorine and other pollution,” said Melton. “Having a healthy aquatic life is important to the City’s eco-system.”

 If your pool isn’t connected to a sanitary sewer line for draining, the water must be de-chlorinated before releasing it into a storm drain.  Under the Oklahoma City Municipal Code, fines can range from $200 -$1,000 per day for each violation.

 Oklahoma City’s Curbs to Creeks program is a volunteer effort to mark storm drains in Oklahoma City with a sticker reminding people that the water that goes into drains flows into our rivers. Those interested in marking drains in their neighborhood can call 297-1774. 

 For more information about storm drain contamination or to report a violation, call 297-1774.

Summer Programs and School Programs
Need an interactive program for your summer classes or next school year? Programs are available for any grade or youth group. Contact 297-1774 to schedule storm water activities including aquatic insects, stream hydrology, storm sewers, and the water cycle.

Storm Water Training Workshops
Storm Water Quality holds bi-annual workshops for contractors, developers and industrial facilities/businesses permitted with Oklahoma City.  These workshops cover any regulatory changes or developments that have changed, and they are also a great venue to answer any questions about the different aspects of the storm water program.

 Need a Speaker?
Our staff is available to speak to your club on topics related to storm water or The City of Oklahoma City’s Storm Water program.

Stormwater Quality Management
Raymond Melton, Division Head
420 West Main, 3rd Floor
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Phone: 405-297-1774
Fax:   405-297-1770
E-mail: brenda.underwood@okc.gov

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