What is an MS4? ‘MS4 for Dummies’ and Dana Probert of Autodesk Help Shine Some Light
It’s really easy to drown in the alphabet soup of stormwater management regulations. I spend a lot of my day knee deep in water projects, and I still get confused. If you are a town manager, elected official or concerned citizen, I can only imagine how difficult it is to understand the regulations from the EPA on NPDES and MS4.
If you aren’t sure what I mean, never fear. Autodesk and DLT Solutions are releasing a new guidebook called “MS4 for Dummies”. This easy to read text will help you understand how to manage your municipal separate storm sewer system (or MS4) to meet the ever increasing regulations handed down by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Clean Water Act.
I’ve spent a lot of time muddling through the official MS4 regulations on the EPA website, http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/munic.cfm, but I must say the hour or so I spent with MS4 for Dummies really helped me understand how the regulations would impact a municipality and what actions you can take to meet the EPA requirements. The book is written in simple language suitable for the most technical members of the municipal engineering team, through town administrators and the general public. If your town is working on an MS4 plan or stormwater regulations and ordinances, this is the book you will want to hand out and have linked to your town webpage.
The book works through explaining why you should be concerned about the cleanliness of stormwater. It then tackles the mandated six Minimum Control Measures for MS4s and how you can take some simple steps to get started on those measures. For example, Chapter 3: Getting the Word Out explains how you can create public education and outreach programs with local community groups, such as having the Boy Scouts organize a riverbank clean up campaign; while Chapter 5: Construction Conundrum addresses more regulation based tactics for construction site inspections and erosion control.
Creating a plan for obtaining an NPDES permit for an MS4 is a daunting task- especially if you aren’t yet sure the difference between a silt fence and a buffer strip. You don’t have to dive right into the deep end of confusing terminology and regulations. Dip your toe into the shallow end and wade in with the help of MS4 for Dummies.
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