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October 2018

• MS4 general permit update
• 2018 Construction stormwater general permit in effect
• Zero-interest Clean Water Partnership loans for pollution prevention
• Industrial stormwater: Reissuing the 2020 general permit
• Stormwater research updates

MS4 general permit update

Over the summer, MPCA staff discussed potential changes to the next draft MS4 general permit, and identified topics in the permit that may need additional detail. Staff are also looking at how permit requirements can be “clear, specific, and measurable,” to comply with the Final MS4 General Permit Remand Rule. As conceptual permit language is drafted over the coming months, sections will be posted in the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to review and give feedback on the conceptual language before the official public comment period. MPCA staff will notify subscribers to the agency's municipal stormwater list when language has been posted. Check to see if you are subscribed to the list here.

2018 Construction stormwater general permit in effect

The MPCA issued the 2018 NPDES/SDS General Construction Stormwater permit on August 1, 2018; see the Construction stormwater web page for complete details. Anyone submitting an application after August 1 will be covered under the revised permit. Those currently covered under the 2013 permit can continue to follow it until the project is complete, but must update their SWPPP to reflect the new requirements if the project continues past February 2020. There is no need to reapply for permit coverage.

What’s new?

The permit has a new, easier-to-read format with fewer pages. The requirements have not altered significantly; notable changes include:

• Permittees no longer need to wait seven days for permit coverage on projects that don't require review. Coverage is effective once payment is received.   
• Permittees will receive a copy of the permit instead of a coverage card after application.
• The definition for “contractor” on the application has been clarified to mean the general contractor with operational control over the entire project on behalf of the owner, and not a subcontractor.
• Permittees must first consider a volume-reduction practice, such as infiltration, for permanent stormwater treatment. The permit also clarifies that wet sediment basins and filtration systems are not volume-reduction practices.
• Testing is required on the site of a permanent stormwater system to verify whether infiltration is prohibited for one of the reasons in the permit.
• The permit clarifies that redundant sediment controls installed near surface waters need to be spaced five feet apart, and that sediment controls must be installed at the base of soil piles.

A full description of changes to the permit can be found here.

Zero-interest Clean Water Partnership loans for pollution prevention

Cities and other government entities can borrow up to $2 million at 0% interest through the Clean Water Partnership program to address non-point source pollution. Loan payback may extend 10 years. Eligible projects include: Urban green infrastructure such as rain water reuse, green roofs, porous pavement, or any stormwater best management practice (BMP) Buffers: purchase of native seeds and vegetation Septic system upgrades and replacements Technical assistance, outreach, and education Equipment such as conservation tillage equipment Any nonpoint source BMP Feedlot upgrades and replacement   Project sponsors can use the loans to implement projects directly or to set up a loan fund for landowners and other stakeholders. Government entities may apply to the MPCA at any time. See the program web page for more information, or contact Cindy Penny (651-757-2099) or Kurt Soular (651-757-2748).

Industrial stormwater: Reissuing the 2020 general permit

Industrial stormwater program staff have been reviewing EPA’s and other states' permits for possible changes we may make to our own general industrial stormwater permit. Read the latest in the September 2018 industrial stormwater quarterly newsletter and get updates on the Permit Development and Program History web page. The general timeline for reissuance:

• May - September 2018: Review existing permit language and EPA's general permit, draft list of suggested changes
• October 2018 - January 2019: Draft changes
• February 2019: Public notice of draft permit
• March - May 2019: Review and respond to comments
• May - June 2019: Permit language finalized, approved
• July 5 - October 5, 2019: Permittees apply for coverage; deadline is October 5, 2019
  
• April 5, 2020: New permit is reissued and in effect
  

Stormwater research updates

An MPCA-led research project on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and toxicology in stormwater resulted in two recent journal publications.

• Contaminants of emerging concern in urban stormwater: Spatiotemporal patterns and removal by iron-enhanced sand filters (IESFs). David J. Fairbairn, Sarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Mark L. Ferrey, Benjamin M. Westerhoff (2018). Water Research, (145), 332-345. (available at the link until Oct. 16).
  
• Effects of urban stormwater and iron‐enhanced sand filtration on Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas. Benjamin M. Westerhoff, David J. Fairbairn, Mark L. Ferrey, Adriana Matilla, Jordan Kunkel, Sarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Dustin Woodruff, and Heiko L. Schoenfuss (2018). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4227 (contact Dave Fairbairn for a copy of the article).
  

For this project, stormwater samples were collected from Twin Cities metro area stormwater outfalls and iron-enhanced sand filters (IESFs) for different seasonal events in 2016. Researchers investigated stormwater occurrences of 385 CECs, other conventional parameters, and biological effects at organismal, cellular, and genetic levels. The main project goals were to better understand CECs in stormwater, the linkages between CECs and aquatic life effects, and the patterns of contamination and toxicity across locations and seasons, with a particular focus on IESF treatment efficacy.

Two additional articles planned for 2019 will focus on the cellular and genetic patterns related to stormwater exposures and contaminants. This project was funded through MPCA’s CEC program (Clean Water Funds) and an EPA grant (CWA Section 106).

Newsletter contact

If you have questions about or suggestions for this newsletter, contact Roberta Getman, MPCA-Rochester, 507-206-2629.