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Department of Ecology News Release - October 3, 2002
02-186
SPOKANE - Two draft documents to help local communities in Eastern Washington deal with the problems of stormwater runoff will be discussed at four public meetings in mid-October.
Community leaders and local officials from Eastern Washington are heading up the effort, along with the state Department of Ecology (Ecology), to develop both a Stormwater Management Manual and a Model Stormwater Program tailored to cities and counties east of the Cascades.
Next March, new federal requirements for stormwater will take effect that expand permit requirements to smaller cities and construction sites that disturb more than one acre. The requirements will apply to at least 16 of the larger cities in Eastern Washington and the urban areas of eight eastern counties.
These cities and counties must develop plans for managing storm water in their communities. The plans need to address public participation, education and outreach; detecting illegal discharges; reviewing construction plans to make sure erosion is controlled during and after construction; and ensuring that municipalities are using pollution-prevention techniques in their everyday operations.
The draft manual and model program are now available for review. Informational workshops are being held from 4 to 6 p.m. and again from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the following locations:
"The manual and model program contain common-sense solutions for managing stormwater runoff in Eastern Washington," said Jim Seitz from the Association of Washington Cities, who helped develop the guidance documents. "They are intended to help local governments meet the new federal stormwater requirements, but in a way that makes sense for Eastern Washington.
"For too long, the available guidance for proper stormwater-management practices has come from work done in Western Washington," Seitz said.
Stormwater runoff is water that drains off the land after rainstorms and snowmelts. In urban areas it flows over surfaces, such as rooftops, paved streets, parking lots, and lawns, eventually infiltrating the ground or collecting in storms drains or ditches.
Even though Eastern Washington is relatively arid, stormwater runoff still poses problems for human health and the environment. The runoff is discharged to lakes, creeks and rivers, picking up pollutants along the way, including oil and other fluids from cars, toxic metals and organic chemicals.
Contact: Jani Gilbert, public information, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-622-1289.
For more information on Eastern Washington storm water: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
