Stormwater Program Gears for New Season
It's difficult to talk about stormwater when you're anticipating 4-7" (or 5-9") inches of snow to blanket the southern half of Minnesota before tomorrow noon. That should make for a crazy commute. On the positive side, the cold snap puts off that inevitable flush of salt- and pollutant-filled water rushing into our favorite lakes and rivers.

The MPCA stormwater program is gearing up for a busy season with its regulated parties--the MS4 permit hit the books and permitted construction-sites will be watched more as it warms.

One big development this spring is online MPCA permitting (not yet available, but soon) for NPDES/SDS (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System/State Disposal System) construction stormwater permits. There was an online permitting system in place last year, but it was withdrawn because of technical difficulties.

Now, I'm told, it should be in place before the spring rush--allowing permitted parties to begin construction much sooner than allowed under the current system. If a construction owner/operator applies for a stormwater permit today, they're required to wait 7 days from the postmarked date of their application before they drop the spade. Under the upcoming online process, construction may begin 48 hours later.

I'll give word when I get the news that the online process is up and running. Or better yet, add MPCA's Construction Stormwater Web site to your "favorites" menu and watch for its release yourself!

Minnesota Stormwater Blog