Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit

What is the MS4 Permit?

Discharges from MS4s are regulated under the Virginia Stormwater Management Act, the Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) Permit regulations, and the Clean Water Act as point source discharges. MS4 regulations were developed and implemented in two phases. Implementation of the first phase began in the early 1990s and required that operators of MS4s serving populations of greater than 100,000 people (per the 1990 decennial census) apply for and obtain a permit to discharge stormwater from their outfalls. The second phase of MS4 regulations became effective March 23, 2003, and required that operators of small MS4s in “urbanized areas” (as defined by the latest decennial census) obtain a permit to discharge stormwater from their outfalls.

NASA LaRC is a Phase II (small) Ms4 Permitholder. Stormwater discharges from Phase II MS4s are regulated under the General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems.

You can view LaRC’s current notice of coverage letter here.

What is Required?

Under the general permit, NASA LaRC develops, implements and enforces an “MS4 Program” that includes the following six Minimum Control Measures:

  1. Public education and outreach on stormwater impacts – View outreach articles, flyers and presentations here!
  2. Public involvement and participation- We encourage the public to get involved in the process! To review the draft plan, provide input and feedback please contact ande.remington@nasa.gov or call (757) 864-8332.
  3. Illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE) – Find more information or report an illicit discharge here!
  4. Construction site stormwater runoff control – Find more information here!
  5. Post-construction stormwater management (for new development and redevelopment).
  6. Pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations.

LaRC’s Mission

LaRC’s MS4 program is designed and implemented to control the discharge of pollutants from our storm sewer system to the maximum extent practicable in a manner that protects the water quality in Tabbs Creek, Brick Kiln Creek, Back River and the Bay.

So, What is the Plan?

In order to meet the permit requirements, LaRC has developed an MS4 Program Plan that describes Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will be implemented to satisfy the six measures listed above. You can view and download LaRC’s current MS4 Program Plan below (Contact the EMO office to view document appendices):

Annually, LaRC submits a report that summarizes the activities performed the previous year (July to June). The Annual Report includes revisions that were made to the Program Plan and evaluates the effectiveness of the BMPs implemented.  You can view and download LaRC’s MS4 Annual Reports here:

Archive

Below you can view and download previous Annual Reports.

Note: This page links to PDF files. Use this link to download Adobe Reader if needed.