What is Stormwater Runoff?
Stormwater runoff occurs when precipitation from rain or snowmelt flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, and streets prevent stormwater runoff from naturally soaking into the ground.
Why is stormwater runoff a problem?
Stormwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants and flow into a storm sewer system or directly to a lake, stream, river, wetland, or coastal water. Anything that enters a storm sewer system is discharged untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water.
How is stormwater regulated?
The federal Clean Water Act and the Texas Water Code govern the prevention of water pollution across the state. Pursuant to rules adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), certain cities must obtain a permit for stormwater discharge.
Under TCEQ rules, most large cities were required to obtain an individual stormwater permit from the TCEQ beginning several years ago. For many smaller cities, such as Bryan, the TCEQ on August 8, 2007, adopted what is know as a “general permit” for small municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) discharges. Under the general permit, those cities must, among other things, submit certain information to the TCEQ regarding their storm sewer systems and adopt a program for preventing pollutants in the system’s stormwater discharge.
The City of Bryan Transportation Department is responsible for administering the City's storm water permit. This permit details the steps the City will take to help prevent and mitigate the impact non-point source pollutants have on our receiving waters.
Goals of the Storm Water Program
To attain and protect the beneficial uses of water bodies in the Brazos Valley;
Raise citizen awareness of common daily activities, such as car maintenance and yard care, that can adversely impact water quality and to prevent those seemingly harmless activities from becoming causes of water pollution; thereby
Reducing pollutants in storm water and our local waterways.
