SEMSWA Website

Water Quality Program

Program 1 and 2: Public Education and Outreach
Program Goals

The ultimate goal of the SEMSWA Public Education and Outreach Program is to improve water quality through increased awareness of water quality pollutants and changes in behaviors associated with activities that discharge those pollutants.  SEMSWA's Public Education and Outreach Program focuses on:

1. INCREASING KNOWLEDGE - To increase the knowledge of the target audiences regarding the MS4, the impacts of storm water pollution on receiving waters, and potential solutions to mitigate the problems caused;
2. CHANGING BEHAVIOR - To change the waste disposal and runoff pollution generation behavior of target audiences by encouraging implementation of appropriate solutions;
3. REACHING A DIVERSE AUDIENCE - To involve and engage socio-economic groups and ethnic communities within the SEMSWA permit area to participate in mitigating the impacts of storm water pollution; and
4. IMPLEMENTING A PUBLIC/BUSINESS/EMPLOYEE EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT MEETS PERMIT REQUIREMENTS

SEMSWA strives to incorporate a variety of strategies to ensure citizens and business owners have access to education material and opportunities to participate in activities. Some examples of educational and outreach efforts SEMSWA uses include:

• Brochures or fact sheets for general public and specific audiences;
• Recreational guides to educate groups;
• Alternative information sources, such as web sites, beach balls, refrigerator magnets, , and ;
• Event participation with educational displays at home shows and community festivals;
• Storm drain stenciling of storm drains with messages such as "Do Not Dump - Drains Directly to Lake;"
• Stormwater hotlines for information and for citizenreporting of polluters;
• Tributary signage to increase public awareness of local water resources.

To learn more about upcoming education and outreach events, or to view brochures, articles and other educational materials, please visit www.SPLASHco.org.

Program 3: Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

Program Goals

The ultimate goal of the SEMSWA Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program is to detect and eliminate sources of pollution that are harmful to both people and the environment. SEMSWA's Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Program focuses on:

1. ELIMINATING - improper connections to the storm sewer system and illegal dumping into storm sewers
2. MINIMIZING - the amount of seepage into the stormwater system from the sanitary sewer system and septic systems.
3. IMPLEMENTING A PUBLIC/BUSINESS/EMPLOYEE EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT MEETS PERMIT REQUIREMENTS

SEMSWA strives to incorporate a variety of strategies to ensure citizens and business owners have access to education material.

Learn more about illicit discharges or report an illicit discharge.

Program Four: Construction Site Runoff Control - Grading, Erosion, and Sediment Control (GESC) 
The ultimate goal of the Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control Program is to minimize the transport of pollutants in stormwater at land disturbance sites through the use of best management practices (BMPs).

SEMSWA has a permitting program for grading, erosion, and sediment control on public and private construction projects. The Grading, Erosion and Sediment Control Manual (GESC Manual) describes the permitting program that has been adopted to promote environmentally-sound construction practices within SEMSWA’s service area. The goal of the GESC Permit Program is to implement effective erosion and sediment control BMPs as a standard for all land disturbance activities to reduce increases in erosion and sedimentation over pre-development conditions. During the relatively short period of time when undeveloped land is converted to urban uses, a significant amount of sediment can erode from a construction site and be transported to adjacent properties and receiving waters. Erosion caused by construction and downstream sedimentation can damage property and degrade the quality of streams and lakes. Sediment is a transport mechanism for many stormwater pollutants. Sediment can disturb riparian and aquatic habitat and, since eroded sediments often contain significant phosphorus, can lead to unwanted algae growth in lakes and reservoirs. Learn more about SEMSWA’s GESC Program

Program Five: Post Construction Stormwater Management - Permanent Water Quality BMPs  
The main goal of SEMSWA's Post Construction Program is to address water quality after construction is complete. As runoff flows over areas altered by development, it picks up pollutants such as oil and grease, pesticides, and heavy metals. Under the Post Construction Program, strategies and management practices are implemented to reduce the amount of pollutants that run off from existing development. Prior planning and design for minimization of pollutants in post-construction stormwater discharges is a cost-effective approach to stormwater quality management for new development and redevelopment.

Program 6: Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations 
The Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping Program consists of best management practices (BMPs) developed to control pollutant discharges by promoting efficient and safe general housekeeping practices (storage, use, transport, and cleanup) when handling potentially harmful materials. Since only stormwater is allowed in the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), all fluids that are not just stormwater can be considered ‘harmful’ if they runoff a site or are inadvertently leaked, spilled or dumped during a municipal operational activity.

Most stormwater pollution occurs as a result of a spill, leak or release, and when materials or wastes are uncontrolled and exposed to stormwater. Some of the most considerable non-specific sources of pollution in urban areas are a direct result of littering, debris that collects, deposition of contaminants, and improper waste disposal on roadways and parking lots. As a result of this pollution, stormwater catch basins become affected with debris and contaminants that have washed off of the roads and parking lots, which can lead to flooding and/or contamination of receiving waters.
So, pollution prevention is conducting periodic preventative maintenance, implementing best management practices (BMPs) to minimize exposure to stormwater runoff, and conducting operational activities in such a way that minimize the collection and transport of these potential pollutants.

Municipal operations are activities that have the potential to impact water quality, including street sweeping, roadway construction, repair and rehabilitation; snow removal and storage; chemical and material storage; fleet storage and maintenance; fertilizer, pesticide and insecticide application; maintenance of streets and ROW; maintenance of drainageways, storm sewers, drainage structures and facilities; and prevention of chemical and material spill. In order to minimize the impact of these operational areas, SOPs have been developed to provide procedures for effective and environmentally safe operations

Learn more about SEMSWA's Municipal Operation SOPs and find out more about what you can do to prevent pollution in your business practices.