More opportunities for the public to weigh in on stormwater pollution

In November 2014, PennFuture won a key victory for how Pennsylvania manages the issue of polluted stormwater entering our waterways. Between now and July 29, the public can provide input to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about the draft general permit for discharges into municipal separate stormwater systems, known as PAG-13. Many of the proposed changes to PAG-13 were the direct result of our settlement in the 2014 case.

Both the state and federal governments have made a priority to address polluted runoff from rain and snow into our storm sewers. This runoff carries street debris, oil, fertilizer, chemicals and trash with it, all untreated as it enters rivers such as the Schuylkill, Delaware, Susquehanna, and thousands of streams and rivers across Pennsylvania. This issue is part of the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) state program, and the public comment period on the new program allows you -- the public, both as individuals or watershed and conservation organizations -- to provide helpful information to DEP. 

A draft of the revised PAG-13 is available from DEP’s website: http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/View/Collection-12476
and the Pennsylvania Bulletin pages 2674-2675 has full instructions for submitting comments. DEP also offers this background on municipal stormwater issues and more on the comment process. Finally, our recent blog post on the topic explains the details of the settlement and what it means for water quality.

Kate Gibbons is northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Wilkes-Barre.