Washington State Department of Ecology

Permits and Permittees

The Phase I permit regulates discharges from municipal separate storm sewers owned or operated by Clark, King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, and the cities of Seattle and Tacoma.

The Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit rule extends the coverage of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to certain "small" municipal separate stormwater sewer systems (MS4s). The Department of Ecology used maps of the census urbanized areas and jurisdictional boundaries to identify Phase II jurisdictions. Ecology issued two Phase II permits: one for Eastern Washington and one for Western Washington.

Municipal Stormwater Permits
Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit	Phase II Eastern Washington Municipal Stormwater Permits	Phase II Western Washington Municipal Stormwater Permit	WSDOT Permit

Who's covered under the permits? (Municipal Stormwater Permittee Lists)
Duty to Reapply
Instructions and a form for current permittees to reapply for the next permit cycle.
2012 Municipal Stormwater Permits Reissuance
Developing Low Impact Development (LID) Standards
Ecology will keep this page updated with information and materials for the process to develop LID standards and definitions as it becomes available.
Stakeholder Recommendations for New Permit Monitoring Requirements
A Stormwater Work Group has worked since 2008 to propose a regional monitoring framework for Puget Sound that includes recommendations for permit monitoring requirements. Ecology is just beginning to work with stakeholders in southwest and eastern Washington to develop monitoring frameworks and permit requirements for those regions.
Secondary Permittees
Secondary permittees are public entities such as ports; prison complexes; park districts; universities; or diking and drainage districts located in a Phase I or II city or county. They may be required to obtain a permit.
Petition Criteria (PDF)
These are the criteria the Department of Ecology will use to evaluate petitions to include additional jurisdictions under the permit. The petitions are allowed under Federal regulations. The Petition Criteria will be supplemented shortly with a petition form. This form, however, is not needed at this time to submit additional areas for coverage under the permits.
2010 Phase I Permit Modification and 2009 Phase I and Phase II Permit Modification
Appeals
Thirteen parties appealed the Phase I, Phase II Eastern Washington and Phase II Western Washington Municipal Stormwater Permits. In August 2008, the Pollution Control Hearing Board issued their decisions.