Stormwater Phase II Rule of the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

The Cecil County Department of Public Works submitted its Notice of Intent (NOI) to be included under the General Permit program of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) in June 2003.  The NPDES Storm Water Phase II Rule requires operators of small (population less than 100,000) municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) to implement a stormwater management program as a means to control polluted discharges from these systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required by Congress, under the Clean Water Act, to implement a two-phased national program, using the NPDES, for addressing the non-agricultural sources of storm water discharges which adversely affect the nation's waters.  The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) administers this program in Maryland on behalf of the EPA.

The Storm Water Phase II Rule of the NPDES specifies a program of six minimum control measures that each regulated jurisdiction shall implement and provides a menu of best management practices (BMPs) from which municipalities may choose in order to implement the program in the most appropriate manner.The six minimum control measures include the following:

1. Public education and outreach
2. Public involvement/participation
3. Illicit discharge detection and elimination
4. Construction site stormwater runoff control
5. Post-construction stormwater management in new development and redevelopment
6. Pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations

Cecil County has  implemented many of the BMPs on the EPA's menu. Currently, Cecil County is in the process of internally reviewing compliance activities with the six minimum control measures required under the General Permit. Most recently, a new documentation system for currently practiced and future BMPs is under implementation.

Questions regarding Cecil County may be addressed to Van Funk of the Department of Public Works at 410-996-5267 or by email at vfunk@ccgov.org.

Additional informational materials describing the NPDES program are available on the following web sites:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's NPDES Stormwater Program    

The Maryland Department of the Environment's Stormwater Management Program

Sediment and Stormwater Branch Home