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Reminder for small MS4 permittees: The MS4 Annual Report for 2020 is due June 30, 2021. Please remember, you are reporting on activities completed under the 2013 MS4 General Permit over the previous calendar year (2020). For more information, please visit the MS4 Annual Report webpage on the Minnesota Stormwater Manual.
Over the next several months, the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) Documents (i.e., MS4 permit application materials) will periodically be posted to the MPCA public notice webpage. Each SWPPP Document will be available for public comment for 30-days. If you want to be notified when SWPPP Documents are posted, make sure you are subscribed to the “Municipal stormwater” GovDelivery email list.
MPCA recently published a detailed guide to water quality trading in Minnesota, available on the agency web site. Water quality trading is a market-based tool for achieving improved water quality. Trading provides a mechanism and legal framework for regulated sources of wastewater and stormwater to form watershed-based water quality restoration and protection partnerships.
The agency is seeking to increase water-quality trading in the state to provide more flexibility and cost savings to permittees, reduce pollution from all sources, and achieve greater environmental benefits than using regulatory measures alone. Learn more on the MPCA Water quality trading web pages.
As an example (photo above): The City of Princeton stabilized bluffs and banks along the Rum River to prevent erosion to offset phosphorous discharges from its wastewater treatment plant.
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Version 4 of the Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) Calculator is now available. The files for the Calculator are available at this link. A summary of changes from Version 3 can be found in the Minnesota Stormwater Manual.
The MPCA is establishing an email list for anyone interested in receiving updates on the Minnesota Stormwater Manual. Roughly every 6 to 12 weeks we would send an email to this list with the following information.
- Updates to the SW Manual since the last email
- What we are working on
- A brief focus article (e.g. the first will likely be on pretreatment)
- Other information if appropriate (e.g. events, links to other relevant stormwater information, etc.)
- Maybe a fun (?) quiz
If you are interested, please sign up here.
If you have questions, contact Mike Trojan at mike.trojan@state.mn.us.
Over the past year we have been working to update information on street sweeping for water quality. This work culminated in development of an easy-to-use Excel tool for calculating phosphorus reductions based on material collected from sweeping. The calculations are based on research completed by the University of Minnesota. An important objective of this work was to incentivize collection of street material at appropriate times and in appropriate locations. Consequently, guidance on sweeping for water quality purposes is being developed to accompany the crediting tool. The calculator tool is available and the guidance should be available this summer. Click here for more information.
NOTICE of Street Sweeping Webinar: MPCA is hosting a live webinar, including guest speakers, Thursday May 13, 9:30-11:00 AM. Find link in Upcoming events.
City street sweeping-Image courtesy Sarah Hobbie, University of Minnesota.
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