LAKEWOOD'S STORMWATER DISCHARGE PERMIT

This permit was originally issued in 1996 after more than a year of discussions between representatives of the City, the Colorado Water Quality Control Division, the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, the City of Denver and the City of Aurora. The permit incorporates extensive comments received from all interested parties on an earlier draft permit made available for public comment. Click on each section title below for more information.

Goals of the Municipal Stormwater Permit
Requirements of the Stormwater Management Program
Framework for Program Management
Elimination of Illicit Connections and Discharges
Development Planning and Construction
Public Agency Activities
Public Information and Involvement
Monitoring
Program Reporting and Evaluation

Goals of the Municipal Stormwater Permit

• To maintain and protect the beneficial uses of water bodies within the City Of Lakewood.
• To reduce pollutants in stormwater.
• To evaluate compliance with the objectives and requirements contained in the permit and improve permit programs.

The stormwater management program is comprised of seven elements, the objectives of which are to:

1. Effectively fund, manage and coordinate implementation of the stormwater program;
2. Identify and eliminate illicit connections and illicit discharges to the storm drain system;
3. Reduce stormwater impacts associated with development and redevelopment projects;
4. Reduce stormwater quality impacts associated with municipal activities;
5. Increase public knowledge about the impacts of stormwater pollution and about actions that can be taken to prevent pollution;
6. Increase public knowledge and understanding about the quality, quantity, sources, and impacts of urban runoff; and
7. Evaluate the effectiveness of implemented stormwater management programs and modify them as required.
   

Summarized below are the program elements to carry out these objectives.

Framework for Program Management

The permit designates responsibilities for managing and executing stormwater pollution reduction programs.

The City Of Lakewood's responsibilities are to:

• Work in concert with other Front Range municipalities to improve water quality in a regional manner.
• Provide staff and financial resources for the development of stormwater management programs, program components and annual reports.
• Cooperate with outside agencies for the purpose of improving stormwater quality.
• Develop and implement a Public Education Strategy.
• Implement and collect data from a wet weather stormwater monitoring program.

The City Of Lakewood is required to:

• Comply with all of the requirements of the permit and the individually approved stormwater management programs.
• Coordinate implementation of permit requirements within its own jurisdiction;
  
  

Elimination of Illicit Connections and Discharges

The Clean Water Act requires that permits for municipal stormwater systems prohibit all discharges of "non-storm" water. Since there are many types of "non-storm" discharges that are regulated under separate permits or are not considered significant pollutant sources, the permit exempts certain discharges from the prohibition.
However, to eliminate all non-exempt discharges, The City must:

• Identify and eliminate illicit connections and illicit discharges to storm drains; and
• Facilitate the public's ability to report illicit connections and discharges.
  
  

Development Planning and Construction

This program is designed to ensure that stormwater management considerations are integrated into planning, permitting and construction of development projects. As part of this program, the City requires:

• Citywide guidelines (including recommended Best Management Practices, Stormwater Management Plans (SWMP) and checklists) for development projects that may significantly affect stormwater quality;
• Guidelines for use in preparing and reviewing SWMP documents; and
• Guidance for developers about stormwater management, reducing flows from development sites, and cost-effective pollution control measures.

We must also develop a program to carry out planning control measures for priority categories of development projects, and require submittal of Stormwater Management Plans for sites disturbing one acre or more, prior to issuing any grading or building permit. The City incorporates lessons learned as well as watershed and stormwater management considerations into any significant re-write of the program.

The City Of Lakewood has developed city-wide guidelines for construction projects larger than one acre that may generate significant pollutant loads,

Public Agency Activities

The City is required to develop a program to reduce the impact of municipal activities on stormwater quality. This program must include the following elements, when possible.

• Procedures to prevent and respond to spills or leaks from sewage system operations;
• Proper management, design and practices to prevent stormwater impacts from City construction projects;
• Pollution prevention plans and Best Management Plans (BMPs) for public vehicle maintenance/material storage facilities that may discharge pollutants into stormwater;
• Procedures to minimize stormwater pollution associated with landscaping activities, pools and recreation areas;
• BMPs for catch basin and storm drain maintenance;
• Street sweeping and road maintenance programs;
• A program to reduce pollutants from municipal parking lots; and
• Procedures to implement BMPs at City owned or operated facilities.
  
  

Best Management Practices (BMP's)
The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District's Storm Drainage Criteria Manual Vol. 3 contains an exhaustive list of BMP's and details in AutoCad format.

Public Information and Involvement

Education is crucial for effective stormwater management. Information and public outreach programs that encourage target audiences to implement solutions that reduce stormwater pollution are cornerstones of the permit.

Education and outreach programs are targeted to specific audiences such as residents, industrial facility operators, commercial businesses, school children, and City employees.

Outreach
The City provides materials for the general public and targeted audiences that convey information about stormwater pollution and what can be done to help solve the problem. Our program provides phone numbers for the public to report illegal dumping, distributes training materials for City employees regarding stormwater permit compliance and educational materials for industry/business.

Site Visits to Businesses and Industries
The City must implement an educational, compliance assistance program for industries and businesses that are potential sources of urban runoff pollutants. The most important component of this program is the educational site visit. Through these visits the City representative can explain the stormwater regulations, provide businesses with information about how to minimize polluted runoff, and if requested, can assist them in understanding and complying with stormwater regulations.

To reduce costs associated with instituting a new program, The City is working to coordinate this site visit program with existing programs conducted by other agencies.

A Citywide Stormwater Public Education Strategy
The City Of Lakewood implemented a citywide stormwater public education program. This program focuses on residents, school children, businesses and employees and includes a full range of outreach tools and methods for educating and training these audiences.

Monitoring

The City Of Lakewood has developed a stormwater quality monitoring program that will:

• Track water quality status and trends;
• Identify watershed-specific pollutants of concern;
• Improve the relationship between land uses and pollutant loads;
• Identify sources of pollutants and evaluate significant stormwater quality problems;
• Evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater management programs, including pollutant reductions achieved by BMPs; and
• Increase knowledge about the impacts of runoff on receiving waters.

Program Reporting and Evaluation

Reporting and evaluation of program results is crucial for effective stormwater management. Each year, on April 1, the City is required to submit an annual program progress report to the State Water Quality Control Division. This report must review the status of implementation, summarize accomplishments and implementation of BMPs, and recommend any changes to the stormwater programs or plans.

The City Of Lakewood must also submit an annual report on the results of the ongoing monitoring program. Four years after the issuance of this last permit, the City must submit a report of the data gathered to assess the effectiveness of BMPs that have been implemented, and make recommendations on performance standards. A final report on the results of the receiving water impacts assessment will also be generated.

Conclusion

City Council recognizes that reducing water pollution is important in maintaining the quality of life in Lakewood. This permit is an important step in continuing to improve the health of all water bodies within the City. Urban runoff and the pollutants suspended in it can have a significant effect on water quality in this region.