Watershed-based approach to stormwater permits

The 760-square-mile Clinton River watershed, containing portions of more than 60 communities and inhabited by over 1.4 million people, is the most populous watershed in Michigan. The 80-mile-long main branch of the Clinton River boasts a surprisingly healthy riparian corridor and supports a successful trout fishery. The river drains into Lake St. Clair, a major drinking water supply and recreational resource for the region.

More than 40 municipalities, four counties, and dozens of school districts and other public entities in the Clinton River watershed must comply with the stormwater discharge permit requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

In Michigan, the small storm sewer systems that were first regulated in March 2003 had the option of selecting the standard general permit designed for particular jurisdictions (municipalities, counties, school districts), or they could apply for what is known as the “watershed-based” permit, an alternative permit developed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

The permit requires communities that share a subwatershed area to work together to develop and implement plans and programs for storm water pollution control. This collaborative approach allows for greater flexibility than the standard general permit in selecting and applying best management practices tailored for the subwatershed, in the hopes of achieving water quality improvements in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

In the years leading up to the March 2003 deadline for small communities to apply for permits for their stormwater pollution, the Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC), the Macomb County Public Works Office, the Oakland Country Drain Commissioner's Office and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) collaborated to assist Clinton River communities in choosing between the jurisdictional and watershed-based permits.

CRWC, the counties, and SEMCOG helped form six subwatershed planning groups. All 43 small communities subject to the new stormwater requirements eventually selected the watershed-based permit option. The most important factor in their decisions was the opportunity to leverage limited resources to achieve water quality improvements.

The subwatershed groups present a unique opportunity for the communities to work together on public education activities, as well as several others. The group structure allows the municipalities to share information, resources and costs while providing consistent education messages.

In response to community requests, CRWC developed a package of services collectively called the Stormwater Action Program to assist the permittees in meeting their storm water permit public education requirements. The Stormwater Action Program was marketed as a package to each of the six subwatershed groups, with each community paying their share of the program costs. The services are provided to each subwatershed group as a whole. This structure allows the dozens of participating entities to share CRWC's staff and resources and to provide a consistent watershed-wide education program without hiring or contracting for their own individual education programs.

In light of the so-called “unfunded mandate” imposed by the new requirements on smaller storm water systems, the watershed-based approach is seen by the participating communities as an opportunity to leverage resources to achieve real improvements in water quality in the Clinton River watershed.

For more information contact the Clinton River Watershed Council (www.crwc.org).