DOE modifies muncipal stormwater permits, Bonney Lake follows Pierce County guidelines
Published 11:18 pm Monday, June 29, 2009
The city of Bonney Lake will follow Pierce County Stormwater guidelines after the state’s Department of Ecology modified municipal stormwater requirements to help cash-strapped local governments comply with permits without compromising environmental protections.
Bonney Lake City Engineer John Woodcock said the city adopted the county’s 2009 version of the stormwater manual.
“We will follow that manual regardless of what DOE is delaying,” Woodcock said. “We believe that the county manual will be accepted by DOE as an approved equal to their manual.
“So if we are currently more stringent that what DOE can hold us to, we know in not the so distant future we will have to comply to these higher standards so we may as well start now.” he added.
The state’s municipal stormwater permits require dozens of local municipalities to regulate polluted runoff in the state’s most populated areas to protect water quality in streams, lakes, wetlands and Puget Sound.
Polluted runoff – stormwater – is the leading threat to water quality in the state’s most populated areas.
Cleaning up and managing stormwater is one of the state’s highest priorities. Washington’s municipal stormwater permits are the rule book for cities and counties for controlling their stormwater.
The changes apply to both the state’s largest municipalities, covered under the state’s Phase 1 municipal stormwater permit, and the next-largest municipalities, covered under Phase 2 permits.
DOE Director Jay Manning said DOE modified the permits because of dramatic budget cutbacks we’ve seen in local governments that undermine the success of these permits.
“These modifications strike a balance by providing flexibility and reducing costs for municipalities.” said Manning. “The modifications do not reduce our focus on clean water and water quality standards.”
The modifications provide requirements for low-impact development for all Phase 1 municipalities, and for Phase 2 municipalities in Western Washington, in keeping with two state Pollution Board rulings. Low-impact development includes use of vegetation, porous pavement and rain gardens to collect rainwater and reduce uncontrolled runoff.
In addition, Ecology modified the Phase 1 permit, and the Western Washington Phase 2 permit, to allow a gradual ramping up of inspection requirements over several years. Phase 2 municipalities in Western Washington are provided a six-month extension in their due date to complete their ordinances from August 2009 to February 2010.
A number of parties challenged the permits after DOE issued them in early 2007. DOE used a public process before it finalized the modifications. It held five workshops across the state and two public hearings.
