The City of Cloquet is cleverly using technology to make their stormwater pollution prevention program (SWPPP) more efficient. City staff answered our questions about how technology fits into their overall stormwater program management and reduces their administrative burdens.

Q: You’re managing and organizing your SWPPP with spreadsheets that track your progress toward your document goals and permit requirements. Tell us about it.

A: [We] use notes and hyperlinks within an Excel spreadsheet to organize records associated with the city’s MS4 permit. The spreadsheet works as a checklist where we record notes on progress to completing the tasks laid out in the MS4 permit. The notes include details on BMP sheet requirements, permit language, actions taken, etc. The hyperlinks connect to documents in our network that pertain to specific permit requirements and actions taken to meet that requirement, reducing the amount of time staff spend digging through electronic folders.

Q: How is this management system benefiting your stormwater program?

A: Setting up the spreadsheet required pulling together all the pieces of our MS4 permit in one place. Doing that helped us understand what's been included in Cloquet’s SWPPP and subsequent reauthorization. It also creates a template that can be reused annually to measure our progress toward goals and document changes we make to our SWPPP. This approach has been beneficial in collecting a wealth of information in one location.

Q: You also have a web-based mapping system fully integrated within your program. Is that making your stormwater program more efficient?

A: Our web-based GIS mapping system contains our inventory of stormwater facilities and their inspection records. Our public works crews can access all the information via mobile devices when they are making repairs or doing maintenance or inspections. They can locate stormwater infrastructure and understand its history and needs in real time in the field, making their work more efficient and our records better organized.

Q: What's your biggest obstacle to complying with MS4 requirements, and how did you overcome it?

A: One of the biggest challenges we face is the volume of information associated with our MS4 permit and trying to keep it organized. We have looked at software products that are designed for this purpose, but felt we wanted the flexibility to customize the type of information and how it is presented. So we developed this spreadsheet-based approach.

Q: How can other MS4 staff apply your ideas in their communities to further stormwater protection across the state?

A: We have provided a copy of the spreadsheet we use for other MS4s. They can see if they want to implement our techniques in their MS4 recordkeeping.

Image courtesy of Dave Fisher/Flickr

All storm drain inlets that receive runoff from active construction activities must be protected with appropriate sediment control BMPs during construction. Inlet protection may only be removed during construction:

• To accommodate short-term activities such as passage of vehicles or to gain access to the area. But the inlet protection must be immediately replaced after the activity, or prior to rainfall even if the activity is not complete.
  
• When an inlet is causing a specific safety hazard, such as street flooding or freezing. In this case, the permittees must use BMPs to keep upgradient sediment sources out of the unprotected inlet, and document the need for inlet protection removal in the SWPPP. The inlet protection must be re-installed after the hazard has passed. Freezing conditions alone do not warrant the removal of inlet BMPs; a particular inlet must present a specific safety hazard. The passage of snowplows is not necessarily considered a safety hazard. Low profile BMPs can accommodate snow plowing.

Removing inlet protection without a just cause will likely be cited as a violation by MPCA inspection staff.

Remove all structural BMPs when construction is done!

MPCA staff are noticing some structural BMPs left on sites long after projects are completed. Silt fence and other non-degradable BMPs must be removed once the site is permanently vegetated. Failure to remove the BMPs could pose a hazard for mowing equipment or people or wildlife accessing the area. Removing structural BMPs is required for submitting a Notice of Termination. Compost, straw, or other degradable products may remain in place.

Autumn leaves in city streets not only means winter’s approach, but also increased pollutants — solids, phosphorus, nitrogen — in your stormwater system. To keep leaves and unwanted nutrients out of your system and downstream waterbodies: 

• Discourage residents from raking leaves into the street. For example, St. Paul Park posts signs noting that it’s illegal to put grass and leaves in city streets.
• Implement a program like Adopt-a-Storm-Drain to encourage residents to keep leaves and debris out of storm drains in their neighborhood.
  
• Increase the frequency of street sweeping, preferably using a vacuum-assist or regenerative-air sweeper to target the fine-particle material.

Nearly 40 MS4s are taking on more than 150 street sweeping efforts to help restore impaired waters. Check out the Stormwater Manual for more information about street sweeping, overall pollution prevention practices, and practices to restore impaired waters.

Reduce waste and cleanup time at construction sites by using biodegradable or reusable BMPs whenever possible. At right, wood slash is used as a perimeter control.

Proper salt storage is critical to keeping chloride out of stormwater. Here are our recommendations:

• Store your salt pile indoors or in a container.
• Prevent moisture from entering the salt shed. If your storage building does not have doors, protect the salt from exposure at the building’s opening.
• For salt stored on a hard waterproof surface with a concave “birdbath-shaped" floor, include a waterproof membrane and slope the floor toward a containment tank.
• Take steps to prevent leaching from the storage area. Sweep salt that migrated into any loading areas back into the pile.
  
• Don’t overfill the salt shed.
• Store salt away from lakes, rivers, ditches, storm drains, and wetland edges.

When loading trucks and hauling salt:

• Cover your truck bed when hauling.
• Salt loading area should be indoors.
• Use a regular loader bucket smaller than the truck bed to load trucks. Don’t overfill trucks.
• Make trucks easy to load/unload.
• After unloading, use a shaker, vibrator, or raised bed or clean the corners of the truck to ensure all of the salt is removed.
  
• Make sure no salt is in the truck when it gets washed.

Smart salting

For road and parking lot maintenance crews: Use less than four pounds of salt per 1,000 square feet (an average parking space is about 150 square feet). One pound of salt is approximately a heaping 12-ounce coffee mug. Consider purchasing a hand-held spreader to help you apply a consistent amount, and don’t salt when the temperature is below 15 degrees F. Use sand instead for traction.

We encourage you to check out our Smart salting training program for more suggestions. It provides a lot of great information to help you be more efficient and effective with your salt use. Our online Winter Maintenance Assessment tool — with 180 BMPs —  is available to all winter maintenance professionals.

Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources/Flickr