The recent snow and ice have melted, but have you wondered what happens to the salt, dirt and pollution left behind? Untreated, it flows through our stormwater drains and eventually into our creeks and rivers.
MSD has taken a leadership role on preserving and improving the quality of stormwater runoff in our community. MSD is the coordinating authority for the St. Louis Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Stormwater Permit. This permit requires MSD to coordinate the non-point source pollution mitigation activities of both our organization and 60 municipalities in St. Louis County (co-permittees). These efforts involve addressing issues like dirty snowmelt runoff from roadsides and parking lots. The most recent product of this collaborative effort is a document entitled,
This document is the culmination of a year long effort by a dedicated work group consisting of 28 members representing a diverse group of stakeholder organizations. The topics covered in this document include parking requirements, street design, weed ordinances and building site design. The recommendations and models in the document are intended to facilitate sustainable stormwater solutions that will reduce non-point source pollution in our community. For example, the workgroup developed solutions that minimize the size of parking lots and streets, maximize green space available for treating stormwater, and streamline how developers, municipalities, and transportation departments implement these preferred solutions.
We ask that you review this document and seriously consider implementing or advocating for the recommendations that you believe will accomplish the most to protect water quality in your community.