The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Stormwater Program is an effort to preserve, protect and improve the nation’s water resources from polluted runoff. The program requires municipalities to obtain a federal stormwater permit for storm sewer systems serving urban areas (population under 100,000) that discharge runoff directly into surface waters. Therefore, the City of Asheville is required to hold a permit and maintain a stormwater management plan with the aim of protecting water quality and human health.
Intended goals of NPDES Phase II stormwater regulations are to control polluted runoff and thereby protect and improve water quality, safeguard human health, protect aquatic habitats and encourage stewardship and pollution prevention within the community. The six required components of a NPDES Phase II Stormwater permits are:
Public Education
Public Involvement
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
Construction Site Runoff Controls
Post-Construction Site Runoff Controls
Good Housekeeping/Pollution Prevention of Municipal Facilities
No state or federal resources are provided to municipalities to implement these measures.
For more information about the NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program, visit the following links:
Asheville’s Phase II Permit
North Carolina Phase II - Stormwater Management
NC Division of Water Quality
US Environmental Protection Agency