https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com


Phase II regulations raise questions

Phase II regulations raise questions

At some point around mid-1999, 3,600 cities with populations below 100,000 will be required to participate in EPA's stormwater protection program. A new
  • Written by Stephen Barlas
  • 1st March 1998

At some point around mid-1999, 3,600 cities with populations below 100,000 will be required to participate in EPA’s stormwater protection program. A new EPA rule, published for comment in January, would subject those “Phase II” cities to regulations similar to those that currently apply to Phase I cities with populations over 100,000.

Phase I cities already have obtained, or are in the process of obtaining, EPA-required stormwater permits. The permits, which can be obtained from EPA or from designated states, do not come cheap. EPA estimates that the cost of initial paperwork and followup record-keepingwill be between $1.4 million and $2.8 million for each of the 3,600 Phase II cities.

That is scary, especially since EPA originally estimated that permits would cost Phase I cities between $35,000 and $75,000 per permit. (The actual cost, according to Carol Kocheisen, legislative counsel for the National League of Cities, has been $650,000 per permit.)

To obtain the permits, cities must develop “Best Management Practices” (BMPs) in six areas: educating the community; creating community outreach; controlling illicit discharges into stormwater sewers; instituting erosion control practices on construction sites of between 1 and 5 acres; developing post-construction stormwater management in new development and redevelopment; and preventing pollution.

The development, implementation and enforcement of BMPs will come with a hefty price tag. For example, cities that do not own good street sweepers will have to buy them.

EPA estimates that compliance with BMPs will cost between $19.5 million and $351.4 million annually. The higher figure represents nearly $100,000 per year per small city.

Some cities, like Denver, may have to build stormwater treatment facilities. The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) covers about 38 cities in the metropolitan Denver area. Three of them, Denver, Lakewood and Aurora, already have applied for Phase I permits.

Ben Urbanas, UDFCD’s chief of master planning, expects the district’s remaining 35 smaller cities to be covered by Phase II. That means the district may have to spend in the neighborhood of $2 billion to $3 billion on projects such as sculpting out land adjacent to the Platte River for use as stormwater settlement basins.

It is unclear how many cities would be similarly affected. For instance, EPA is worried about specific pollutants in stormwater (organic compounds and metals that flow off home and commercial construction sites, and motor oil and grease from service stations), but it is not mandating specific “end-of-pipe” cleanup levels for these pollutants. The emphasis is on the BMPs for the six categories, which each city develops on its own.

While there will not be pollutant-specific water emission ceilings, cities will have to specify “measurable goals” in each of the six areas when they obtain their permits. “Measurable goals” for Phase II have yet to be defined, but some environmentalists view the language of the proposed rule as unacceptably flexible.

Additionally, NLC’s Kocheisen says that, within the next two years, EPA will require states to comply with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), or maximum pollutant levels, for rivers, streams and lakes.

That does not directly affect the Phase II program because it is driven by language in the Clean Water Act. However, some states may apply TMDLs to stormwater regardless of the progress of the protection program.

Tags:

Related


  • Preventing cloud data leaks: four key actions city and county government organizations can apply to mitigate risk
    City and county governments are wary of mounting security risks, particularly for data they store in the cloud. Ransomware, phishing attacks and other cybersecurity threats on local governments are hitting the news regularly—such as the recent DoppelPaymer ransomware and Ryuk malware attacks on Chatham County, Orange County and the City of Durham, all in North […]
  • Cooperative contracts can be an entryway for small and diverse companies to successfully compete for government sales
    Cooperative purchasing agreements are just what the doctor ordered for stretched-thin government procurement departments. “One thing all procurement offices seem to have in common (even before the pandemic) is too much work and too little time,” says Christina Nielsen, director, government accounts for Lawson Products. The firm is a distributor of maintenance, repair and operations […]
  • How-to Tips to Prepare for Your Summer Construction Projects
    The busy summer construction season is just around the corner, but the spike in construction activity puts added pressure on stakeholders to plan, procure and execute projects in a condensed timeline. This free eBook offers tips on simplifying project planning and execution, such as. Defining your desired outcomes Developing clear scopes of work Exploring various […]
  • Broadband expansion part of American Jobs Plan to rebuild country’s infrastructure
    President Joseph Biden has announced his bold plans to rebuild America’s infrastructure. Part of the $2 trillion American Jobs Plan is $100 billion to revitalize the country’s digital infrastructure, including improving high-speed broadband to reach 100-percent coverage. In releasing the plan, the White House stated that broadband internet is the new electricity. “It is necessary […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Procurement department puts post-pandemic work plan in place to ensure continued productivity
  • Celebrating the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic: Procurement professionals
  • Expanding opportunities: Nebraska’s bold procurement Concierge Program
  • Revenue and zoning evolution prepares Seattle for an autonomous vehicle future

White papers


How-to Tips to Prepare for Your Summer Construction Projects

5th April 2021

How to Procure an eProcurement System that Generates More Value from Your Budget

1st April 2021

The Technology Solutions Vital to Clerk Productivity in Our Post-Pandemic Communities

18th March 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Procurement department puts post-pandemic work plan in place to ensure continued productivity dlvr.it/RxgxjN

14th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Georgia city moves to automated trash collection dlvr.it/RxX5Rl

12th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

The Community Game Changer: Library Outsourcing dlvr.it/RxLd6r

9th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Cooperative contracts can be an entryway for small and diverse companies to successfully compete for government sal… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

9th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Electric slide: Mayors form collaborative organization to purchase electric vehicles for cities dlvr.it/RxGsHY

8th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Celebrating the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic: Procurement professionals dlvr.it/RxGsG2

8th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Expanding opportunities: Nebraska’s bold procurement Concierge Program dlvr.it/RxGpyr

8th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

All activities monitored: The 10 most surveilled major cities in the U.S. dlvr.it/RxCKzy

7th April 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X