In late January, stormwater professionals gathered for the Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) annual conference in Mankato. During the pre-conference presentations, MPCA staff discussed the new Municipal Stormwater (MS4) permit, common violations, and guidance for self-audits. The audience posed many good questions, some of which are highlighted below:
Q – We’re training our local police in illicit discharge recognition and reporting. But the MN State Patrol/County Sheriff also has an office in my municipality. Do I need to train them as well?
A –You need to train the people who provide policing services in your community. In this case, train your local law enforcement (city police), but you don’t have to train the state patrol or county sheriff’s department.
Q – Do we have to tell the public that there’s an ordinance requiring people to pick up after their pets? Can’t we just ask them to clean up? We don’t want to have to write anyone a ticket.
A –Yes, at least one public education message needs to let residents know that there is a local ordinance that requires pet owners to clean up after their pets. We've seen from experience how publicizing this ordinance leads to more people picking up after their pets. How a municipality chooses to enforce their ordinances is up to that municipality.
Q – If potable (drinking) water is an “authorized non-stormwater discharge” then why does the draft 2025 MS4 Permit require municipalities to consider temperature, chemical components, and other things before discharging potable drinking water to the storm sewer?
A –We have found from experience that while potable water is generally safe to discharge into a storm sewer, there can be situations (e.g., discharge volume, temperature, concentration of disinfectants, etc.) where discharging potable water into a storm sewer can lead to nuisance conditions and a fish kill downstream.
Q – If we call our MPCA MS4 staff member to ask a question, does that make it more likely that we’ll get audited?
A –No. The MPCA wants municipalities to call and ask questions about the MS4 permit. Municipalities who ask questions are often more compliant with their MS4 permit than other municipalities.
Q – Staff turnover is high at the local level. How can MPCA help new staff hired at the local level to understand the MS4 permit requirements?
A – Contact your MPCA MS4 staff person with any questions. Also, many resources, including the MS4 Implementation Guide, can be found online in the MN Stormwater Manual. Finally, stay tuned for information on upcoming webinars MPCA will be hosting that are tailored to new MS4 staff.
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