Urban storm water runoff is a leading contributor to water quality problems across the United States. Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) located within urbanized areas have been identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as needing regulation to address these water quality concerns. Approximately 200 Indiana municipalities were required to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II MS4 general storm water permits (Rule 13). The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is responsible for the issuance, compliance tracking and evaluation, and enforcement of these permits. While with a previous firm, staff worked with IDEM to develop criteria in the form of a compliance review checklist that was used to ensure consistent review of the Rule 13 storm water quality management plan (SWQMP), Parts B and C. Staff members also developed a tracking database that was used to track issuance dates, submittal dates, and compliance dates.
