Minimum Control Measures

Polluted storm water runoff is often transported to municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) and ultimately discharged into local rivers and streams without treatment. The Storm Water Phase II Rule requires that six minimum control measures (MCM) be implemented in order to minimize the amount of pollutants discharged into receiving waterbodies.

The six minimum control measures that must be addressed by the MS4 Program are:

Public Education and Outreach: Distributing educational materials and performing outreach to inform citizens about the impacts polluted storm water runoff discharges can have on water quality.
Public Participation/ Involvement: Providing opportunities for citizens to participate in program development and implementation, including effectively publicizing public hearings and/or encouraging citizen representatives on a storm water management panel.
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination: Developing and implementing a plan to detect and eliminate illicit discharges to the storm sewer system (includes developing a system map and informing the community about the hazards associated with illegal discharges and improper disposal of waste).
Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control: Developing, implementing, and enforcing an erosion and sediment control program for construction activities that disturb 1 or more acres of land. These controls could include silt fences, erosion control blankets, rip rap, and inlet protection.
Post-Construction Storm Water Runoff Control: Developing, implementing, and enforcing a program to address discharges of post-construction storm water runoff from new development and redevelopment areas. Applicable controls could include preventative actions such as protecting sensitive areas (e.g., wetlands) or the use of structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as grassed swales or porous pavement.
Pollution Prevention/ Good Housekeeping: Developing and implementing a program with the goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operations. The program must include municipal staff training on pollution prevention measures and techniques (e.g., regular street sweeping, reduction in the use of pesticides or street salt, or frequent catch-basin cleaning).

The development of BMPs is necessary to be able to measure achievements made to satisfy each of the six MCM. Here is what is currently being done to comply with the Phase II rule:

Public Education and Outreach on storm water impacts - includes classroom educational activities for students K-12, plantings and stream restoration activities, and educational campaigns for residents, businesses and households on pet waste management, proper fertilization techniques, automobile maintenance, etc. The partnership is in the process of developing a storm water quality survey in order to assess the public's knowledge of storm water issues. Additionally, brochures are being developed to inform residents about storm water run-off pollution and provide education on how to reduce the impact on receiving waters.
Public Participation/ Involvement - includes partnerships with local universities, State agencies, and local citizen organizations to organize cleanup activities and to lead volunteer opportunities to involving citizens in the development and implementation of the MS4 program. Several activities are being considered such as a storm drain stenciling program to gather volunteer groups to paint prefabricated stencil designs on storm drains to mark them. This will inform the public of the location of storm drains that lead to streams and the river without treatment. Additionally, a Citizen’s Advisory Committee will be created. This volunteer committee of citizens will review the SWQMP and make recommendations on program development.
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination - receiving citizen and staff reports on pollution issues such as spills and dumping and responding and remediating them to keep pollutants out of our waterways. Also includes the City's efforts in GPS mapping the City's storm sewer system and to provide household hazardous waste recycling and encouraging used oil recycling.

The photo to the right is an example of what an illicit discharge looks like. Click here for more information on examples of illicit discharges.
Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control on active construction sites - generally enforced through the City's Erosion & Sediment Control Program and the State's required Indiana Storm Water Management Program permit. The Clean Water Coalition partners with the Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District to conduct Storm Water Quality Workshops to educate contractors, developers, engineers, and MS4 personnel on Rule 5 requirements and how to manage construction site activities to reduce impacts to storm water quality. More information about workshops and training is available on the Storm Water Education page.
Post-Construction Storm Water Management in New Development and Redevelopment (aka. Storm Water Management) - efforts in plan review, inspections and maintenance of storm water management facilities after construction has completed to address quantity (flooding) and quality (pollution) issues on properties.
Pollution Prevention/ Good Housekeeping for municipal operations - includes training programs for City staff, and internal auditing to address potential storm water impacts.