The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region (San Diego Water Board), approved a regional municipal separate storm water sewer system (MS4) permit on May 8 designed to prevent pollutants such as trash, metals, bacteria, chemicals, and pesticides from being washed into storm drains and into creeks, rivers and the ocean. Called a Regional MS4 Permit, it is a region-wide (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit that will regulate MS4 discharges to inland surface waters, bays and estuaries and coastal waters throughout the three counties within the San Diego Region.
The Regional MS4 Permit requires cities and towns in the regional board jurisdiction to develop a plan to reduce the pollutants in storm water, to prevent non-storm water discharges, and to monitor the results and take corrective action when goals are not met.
A key feature of the Regional MS4 Permit is that it provides a flexible and adaptive process for the Copermittees to select and address the highest priority water quality issues. The process also allows the Copermittees to build upon their efforts to achieve goals that will yield the greatest water quality improvements. The regional approach also offers the opportunity to better achieve regulatory consistency as well as maximum efficiency and economy of resources for both the San Diego Water Board and the Copermittees.
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/press_room/press_releases/2013/pr050913.pdf
