Coming soon: Weigh in on your municipality’s MS4 permit

Since PennFuture and the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reached a settlement to improve Pennsylvania’s program for preventing stormwater runoff from polluting our streams and rivers, there have been many new and enhanced opportunities for public engagement in the municipal stormwater permitting process. 

This summer, DEP sought comments from the public about the draft general permit for discharges into municipal separate stormwater systems, known as PAG-13.

Yet another opportunity is on the horizon for Pennsylvanians to engage in the municipal stormwater permitting process. Some MS4 municipalities in the commonwealth will be submitting Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Strategies to DEP. Citizens can request a copy of DEP’s review letter for their municipality’s TMDL Strategy from the department. 

Do you live in a MS4 community? 

For those of us who aren’t engineers or environmental planners, PennFuture, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust are offering assistance to clarify and simplify the stormwater permit process for watershed and conservation groups as well as for citizens who wish to participate in borough or township planning processes.

Our presentation will cover:

• What the settlement in the MS4 case means for you
• Opportunities to get involved in your municipality's stormwater planning process, including:
• When and how you can participate  — and why it's a key opportunity for citizens to give public input
• What to look for in permit applications, including pollutant reduction plans and TMDL plans   

MS4 Public Participation Presentation

The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, PennFuture, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust invite you to to learn about how you can work with your community to improve water quality.

Monday, November 16

4:30 – 7:00pm

Jenkintown Library

460 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046

Questions & RSVP to Jon Musselman | jon@ttfwatershed.org | 215.744.1853

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.

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.

The how tos of stormwater for citizens

Whether it's runoff from melting and polluted snow this winter, or rainwater from a summer thunderstorm, stormwater in our communities affects us all. PennFuture, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), and the Brandywine Conservancy are collaborating to help clarify and simplify the stormwater permitting process for watershed and conservation groups and citizens – and make public participation in your borough or township's planning process easier. 

• MS4 Public Participation Presentation  
• Wednesday, March 25, 2015 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
• Brandywine River Museum, 1 Hoffman's Mill Road, Chadds Ford, Pa. 19317

This targeted educational program is designed to help citizens become more involved in municipal stormwater management. PennFuture recently reached a legal settlement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in an Environmental Hearing Board appeal: PennFuture v. DEP and Upper Gwynedd Township, Docket No. 2013-105-L. The settlement will change the way that municipal separate storm sewer systems, known as MS4s, receive permits in Pennsylvania.

Our presentation will cover:

• What the settlement in the MS4 case means for you
• Ways for your organization and its members to get involved in the DEP's process for updating the general permit for MS4s 
• Opportunities to get involved in your municipality's stormwater planning process, including:
• When and how you can participate  — and why it's a key opportunity for citizens to give public input
• What to look for in permit applications, including pollutant reduction plans and TMDL plans   

Have questions about the MS4 Public Participation Presentation - Brandywine? Or is your organization interested in a similar presentation? Contact Mike Helbing at helbing@pennfuture.org.

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