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Division History |
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City of
Oklahoma City |
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The City of Oklahoma City Department of Public Works began to implement the NPDES Storm Water program in 1992. By 1995, Oklahoma City had completed all of the preliminary research and development and was issued an NPDES Storm Water permit. Funding for the Storm Water program was established for Fiscal Year (FY) 1995-1996. The Storm Water Drainage Utility Fee was approved to implement the environmental programs set forth in the Phase I Storm Water requirements. The fee is collected through monthly Oklahoma City water utility bills and is based on water meter size. |
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Oklahoma City in 1942, Courtesy Library of Congress |
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Four years after the initiation of the permit, the City Council, recognizing the need for greater emphasis on urban water quality problems, passed some of the most innovative environmental protection regulations in its history, creating the Storm Water Quality Management Division (SWQ). This enabled the City to take effective measures to protect water quality in developing urban watersheds during an unprecedented period of growth. The program goals are to prevent any source of contaminants which have the potential to pollute waterways or endanger community health, safety, property, and quality of life. All the mandated environmental programs in the City's Storm Water Management Plan have been implemented. Major programs address industrial and construction surface runoff. Another primary aspect of the City's management plan encourages public outreach through information, education and community service. On September 9, 1997, two years after the initial permit issuance, EPA delegated all the responsibilities for storm water discharges in Oklahoma (excluding facilities located on Indian lands) to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). The current MS4 permit the City of Oklahoma City has with ODEQ is located here. The primary focus of the renewed permit will be implementing the Watershed Characterization Study and preparing for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Programs. |
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When rain falls, it not only waters your yard and fills streams, but it also washes away pollutants such as oil and gasoline from impervious surfaces into the City's storm drains. Storm drains carry the runoff into our streams and rivers. This runoff is also called "non-point source" pollution - an unusual pollution which does not originate at one particular point, but comes from many different sources making it extremely difficult to control. In response to the 1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed Phase I of the NPDES Storm Water Program in 1990. It was mandated that cities nationwide develop programs addressing the issue of storm water pollution. The Phase I program targeted sources of storm water runoff that had the greatest potential to negatively impact water quality. Under Phase I, EPA required permit coverage for storm water discharges from: · “Medium" and "large" municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) located in incorporated places or counties with populations of 100,000 or more; and Eleven categories of industrial activity, including construction projects that disturbs five or more acres of land. A medium MS4 is a system that services a population between 100,000 - 249,999. A large MS4 is a system that services a population of 250,000 or more. With a population of nearly one-half million, Oklahoma City was designated as a Phase I City and required to monitor and maintain water quality in our storm drains, rivers and creeks. The purpose of Storm Water Permit mandates is to reduce water pollution resulting from storm water runoff. The Storm Water Quality Management Division researches and initiates innovative measures to manage, monitor, investigate, control and remediate pollution of both surface and storm water. |
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Stormwater Quality Management |
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