Announcing the Draft Washington State
Department of Transportation Municipal Stormwater General Permit
State and federal regulations require WSDOT to have national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit coverage in areas covered by Phase I and Phase II of the municipal stormwater permit program. Seeking coverage under a statewide permit is consistent with WSDOT's objective of implementing a highway stormwater management program that promotes sound stormwater management on all state highways. This general permit will cover stormwater runoff from state highways, rest areas, weigh stations, park and ride lots, ferry terminals, and maintenance facilities. The proposed permit addresses these legal requirements and regulates the discharge of pollutants to protect surface water quality in Washington state. Ecology is requesting public comment on the draft permit and fact sheet. Concurrently, an interagency agreement (IA) regarding the statewide application of the 2008 updated Highway Runoff Manual (HRM) and WSDOT's stormwater management program will also be available on ecology's web site for review and comment.
Requesting Copies of the Draft Permit: Beginning May 21, 2008, you can request copies of the draft permit and fact sheet or download copies from the web site http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/wsdot.html.
Ecology Contact: Bill Hashim, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone (360) 407-6467, fax (360) 407-6426, e-mail bhas461@ecy.wa.gov.
Submitting Written and Oral Comments: Ecology will accept written and oral comments on the draft WSDOT municipal stormwater general permit and fact sheet until 5 p.m., June 24, 2008. Ecology prefers comments to be submitted by e-mail. Comments should reference specific text when possible.
Submit written comments to Bill Hashim, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, e-mail bhas461@ecy.wa.gov.
If you submit written comments, you must ensure that they are postmarked no later than 5 p.m., June 24, 2008. You must send e-mail comments before 5 p.m., June 24, 2008. You may provide oral comments by testifying at the public hearing in Lacey.
Workshops: The public workshops on the draft permit are scheduled to be held in Bellevue, Spokane, and Lacey, Washington. At each workshop ecology will explain the permit and answer questions.
June 4, 2008, at 1 p.m., Shadle Public Library, West 2111 Wellesley Avenue, Spokane, (509) 444-5390.
June 5, 2008, at 1 p.m., Department of Ecology Northwest Regional Office, 3190 160th Avenue S.E., Bellevue, (425) 649-7000.
Hearing and Workshop: A public workshop and hearing will be held in Lacey, Washington. The purpose of the hearing is to provide an opportunity for people to give formal oral testimony and comments on the proposed permit.
June 23, 2008, at 1 p.m., Lacey Timberland Regional Library, 500 College Street S.E., Lacey, (360) 491-3860.
Issuing the WSDOT Municipal Stormwater General Permit: After ecology receives and considers all public comments it will make necessary changes and issue the permit. If public comments cause a substantial change in the permit conditions from the original draft permit, another public notice of draft and comment period may ensue.
Ecology expects to issue the permit on or about July 31, 2008, if there is no substantial change to the draft. The permit will be effective thirty days later. When issued, ecology will send a copy of the notice of issuance and ecology's responses to the comments to all persons who submitted written comment or gave public testimony.