Announcing the Modifications of Eastern Washington Phase II and Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater General Permits for Public Review
Purpose of the Municipal Stormwater General Permits: Federal and state water quality laws require a permit for the discharge of stormwater (see Federal Water Pollution Control Act Title 22 United States Code, Section 1251 et seq., state Water Pollution Control Act, chapter 90.48 RCW and Washington waste discharge general permit regulation, WAC 173-226-130). The permits address these legal requirements and control the discharge of pollutants to protect surface water and ground water quality in Washington state. The permits require municipalities and secondary permittees to develop and implement a stormwater management program to control stormwater runoff into and from their storm sewer system.
Applying for a Permit and Coverage Areas: The permits remain in effect during this modification process. Geographic areas of permit coverage are available at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/index.html.
Requesting Copies of the Proposed Permit Modifications: Beginning March 18, 2009, you may request copies of the permit modifications and fact sheet or download copies from the web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/permitMOD.html.
Ecology Contact: Harriet Beale, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone (360) 407-6457, fax (360) 407-6426, e-mail hbea461@ecy.wa.gov.
Submitting Written and Oral Comments: Ecology will accept written and oral comments on the draft permits and fact sheet until 5 p.m., May 1, 2009. Ecology prefers comments to be submitted by e-mail. Comments should reference the specific permit(s) and specific text when possible.
Submit Written Comments to: Municipal Permit Comments, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, e-mail SWPermitComments@ecy.wa.gov.
Written comments must be postmarked no later than 5 p.m., May 1, 2009. You must send e-mail comments before 5 p.m., May 1, 2009. You may provide oral testimony at either public hearing.
Hearings and Workshops: The public hearings and workshops on the permit modifications are scheduled to be held in Tacoma and Moses Lake, Washington. A hearing will immediately follow each workshop to provide the opportunity for formal oral testimony and comments on the proposed permit(s).
On April 22, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., Moses Lake, Moses Lake Fire Station, 701 East Third Street, Moses Lake, WA, (509) 765-2204, Phase II EWA permit only.
On April 23, 2009, 2 p.m., Tacoma, Pierce County Library System, 3005 112th Street East, Tacoma, WA, (253) 536-6500, Phase I and Phase II WWA permits only.
Ecology has scheduled three additional informational workshops around the state. For more information go to http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/permitMOD.html.
Issuing the Final Modified Permits: After ecology receives and considers all public comments, it will issue the modified permits. If public comments cause a substantial change in the permit conditions from the original permit modifications, another public notice of draft and comment period will occur. If there is no substantial change to the drafts ecology expects to issue the modified permits in the summer of 2009. The permits 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 oral testimony at the public hearings.