WILLMAR -- The status of the city's stormwater permit and stormwater pollution prevention program will be updated during the Willmar City Council meeting at 7 p.m. on June 16.
The status of compliance with the storm water permit and the implementation of the city's stormwater pollution prevention program will be updated.
The pollution prevention program can be seen at the City Office Building, 333 Sixth St. S.W. Citizens may submit oral or written comments before or during the annual meeting.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, stormwater runoff is a leading source of water pollution in streams and lakes. Instead of percolating naturally through soils and recharging ground water, rainfall can be quickly deflected by roads, parking lots, roofs and other impervious surfaces.
This can cause erosion of sensitive stream channels and loss of habitat needed by fisheries and their food web.
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Common pollutants in stormwater runoff include trash, bacteria, nutrients, pesticides, heavy metals, salt, sediment and fuels.
Willmar is one of 243 Minnesota cities required by state and federal rule to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the discharge of stormwater from municipal separate storm sewer systems.
The permit requires a stormwater pollution prevention program to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the storm sewer system to the maximum extent practicable.
City storm sewers are separate from sanitary sewers and do not drain into municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Stormwater runoff often does not receive treatment before discharging into lakes and streams.
The new stormwater program aims to reduce, treat or recycle stormwater runoff with ponds, rain gardens or other urban stormwater management practices, according to an MPCA news release.
The permit includes measures to improve public involvement and education, reduce stormwater pollutants, improve erosion controls on construction sites, and incorporate stormwater pollution prevention practices.
