Environmental Services

The requirements for stormwater runoff control are administered through the City of Ruston, Department of Public Works working in conjunction with the Office of Environmental Services. The goal of the City’s stormwater management program is to maintain compliance with the requirements of the Clean Water Act.

In response to the 1987 Amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed Phase I of the NPDES Stormwater Program in 1990. Phase I covered stormwater discharges from the following:

• medium and large municipal separate storm sewer systems located in incorporated places or counties with populations of 100,00 or more;
• eleven categories of industrial activity which includes construction activity that disturbs five or more acres of land.

Operators of the systems, facilities, and construction sites regulated under the Phase I NPDES Stormwater Program must obtain permit coverage for the stormwater discharge leaving the sites.

Under Phase II, which was finalized December 8, 1999, stormwater discharges from the following were required to obtain a NPDES permit:

• certain regulated small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s)
• construction activity disturbing between 1 and 5 acres of land.

For more information on the program visit the EPA web site.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is monitoring small construction sites in the Ruston area. LDEQ is checking for permit coverage as well as the implementation of the pollution prevention plans that are required per the NPDES permit.

Although the City of Ruston is not required to meet the EPA requirements for the Phase II program, we monitor sites for the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the control stormwater runoff.

BMP for Stormwater and the Construction Industry brochure.