STORMWATER MONITORING RECOMMENDATIONS
County staff and WSAC representatives have been
working for the last two years to develop recommendations for a regional
stormwater monitoring program using pooled funding. The goal of the
organically derived Stormwater Work Group (SWG), which boasts a wide
range of stakeholders including local government, was to create a
comprehensive stormwater component of a regional coordinated ecosystem
monitoring program for Puget Sound. Counties have been well represented
on the SWG.
The effort grew from the concerns that
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase I
municipal stormwater permittees had with the current monitoring
requirements. These concerns included the high cost of required
monitoring and whether it was providing enough useful information. In short, the group expects the
recommendations, if accepted by the Department of Ecology (Ecology), to
improve current monitoring results by sharing data and collection
responsibilities throughout the Puget Sound region and by reducing the
costs of monitoring for individual jurisdictions.
In addition, the final requirements for this permit
reissuance will set precedent for those counties who will be subject to
future permits.
Next Steps for Recommendations
The group's recommendations were presented to Ecology
last fall. Ecology issued a draft of the permit on and asked for public
comment during an informal comment period that ended June 17. The
official draft will be issued this fall and a formal public comment
period held at that time.
Questions about our stormwater monitoring
program county services?
Contact Neil Aaland, Puget Sound Partnership Coordinator, via
email.
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