Carolina Clear luncheon discusses upcoming changes to stormwater permits

Published: March 8, 2011

Carolina Clear image by: Carolina Clear

EASLEY — The Pickens Countywide Stormwater Consortium, a regional partner in Carolina Clear, Clemson University’s stormwater pollution involvement and awareness program, hosted a luncheon March 2 where elected and appointed officials discussed upcoming changes to stormwater regulations that affect communities that include Pickens County and the cities of Easley, Liberty and Pickens.

Stormwater runoff is the nation’s No. 1 source of pollution, and drainage systems can play a major role in the transport of pollutants to local waterways.

In South Carolina, the responsibility for issuing stormwater permits and enforcing the Clean Water Act falls to the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

The goal is to maintain the state’s rivers, lakes and streams so the water is clean for swimming and fish are safe to eat.

At the luncheon, guest speaker Jill Stewart, stormwater permitting section manager for DHEC, explained how changes in the general permit for Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) will require significant adaptations to community’s stormwater management duties. 

The stormwater permits for small MS4s are currently on public notice concluding April 1, 2011.

Seventy communities are permitted as small MS4s by DHEC, meaning they are held responsible for the quality of runoff into pipes and ditches and its effect on waterways.

Some changes to the permits that affect communities include increasing their authority for inspection and enforcement of properties not appropriately managing their runoff; an increase in monitoring the quality of stormwater runoff; and mandatory measures for construction sites to retain storm volume.

For an overview of changes anticipated in the next stormwater permits, visit the toolbox section of the Carolina Clear website.

As part of its public education component to meet these regulations and involve the public, the city of Easley and the Pickens consortium recently began a storm drain-marking program. The program’s goal is to inform residents and businesses that storm drains and ditches are part of a large system that funnel into surface waters, not treatment plants.

“Stormwater is a major source of pollution in to our waters,” Stewart said during the luncheon. “When it rains, fertilizers and oils wash off into creeks and can make the water unsuitable for people to swim or aquatic life to survive.”

END

Carolina Clear
Carolina Clear is a stormwater education and awareness program of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and the Center for Watershed Excellence. The program’s goal is to minimize polluted stormwater runoff by educating the general public, youth, builders, developers, homeowners and government officials about how they can keep water in the state’s streams, rivers and basins as clean as possible.