What is Stormwater?
Stormwater discharges are generated by runoff from land and impervious areas during rainfall. Surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, and streets prevent stormwater from naturally soaking into the ground.
Why is Stormwater Quality Important?
Stormwater can carry litter, sand, bacteria, oil and other chemicals as it flows to our streams, rivers, ponds and wetlands. Runoff from paved surfaces may contribute large amounts of polluted stormwater. Cleaning up stormwater not only benefits our neighborhoods and town, it also benefits the entire network of water bodies and land that make up our watershed.
Water is life. Protecting our streams, rivers, and reservoirs is vital to ensure that we have water to drink and unpolluted rivers and lakes for recreational use. Controlling stormwater runoff and keeping contaminates out of it, is the first step in maintaining water quality. It’s everybody’s responsibility.
Crowley stormwater quality is regulated at the federal level by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state level by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and at the local level by the City of Crowley Public Works Department.
As authorized in 1972 by the federal Clean Water Act, the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program controls water pollution by establishing permit requirements for sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the United States. These sources include industrial, municipal, and other facilities with potential of discharging contaminants directly to surface waters.
What is the Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System?
TCEQ assumes the authority to administer the NPDES program in Texas which is known as the Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System (TPDES).
What Does the TPDES Permit Require of the City of Crowley?
The City of Crowley has to develop, implement, and enforce a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP). The goals of the Plan are to:
- Reduce the discharge of pollutants to the maximum extent possible
- Protect water quality
- Satisfy the appropriate water quality requirements of the Clean Water Act
What Minimum Control Measures (MCM's) will the City of Crowley's Program Include?
Per the TCEQ, TPDES General Permit Number TXR040000, the Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) must provide a listing and description of best management practices (BMP's) developed to prevent stormwater pollution to the maximum extent practicable. BMP's are required to be developed to satisfy six stormwater quality minimum control measures:
- Public Education and Outreach and Involvement
- Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
- Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
- Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment
- Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operators
Tips for Keeping Stormwater Clean Car Care Tips
- Maintain your car to prevent fluid leaks
- Recycle motor oil, antifreeze, tires, and batteries
- Use a commercial carwash that treats and/or recycles the wash water
- If you wash your car at home, wash it on the lawn so that the water can seep into the soil, use a spray nozzle to conserve water and use low-phosphate detergents in small amounts
Lawn Care and Garden Tips
- Use fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides sparingly
- Try using organic lawn care methods
- Mow 2 to 3 inches high to encourage dense growth and deter weeds
- Mulch lawn clippings and leaves and leave it on the lawn
- Do not overwater your lawn
- Reduce lawn size in favor of natural vegetation or rock gardens
- Cover soil piles with tarps and replant bare areas to stop erosion
General Household Tips
- Never pour or sweep anything down a storm drain, including: motor oil, litter, leaves, sand, pet waste, or paint
- Don't pour grease or oil down the sanitary sewer drain as it may create sewer backups or overflows
- Bag your pet's waste, don't just leave it. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local waterways
- Don't get rid of old or unused paint by throwing it down the storm drain; dispose of paint and other hazardous household waste at recycling facilities
- Don't pump your pool water into the storm drain - pool chemicals can be hazardous to our creek habitats. Whenever possible, drain your pool into the sanitary sewer system where it can be treated
Street Sweeping Program
The City is divided into four quadrants or zones. City crews clean the curb and gutter on city streets once per quarter.
Resources
- City of Crowley Stormwater Management Plan (see PDF below)
- City of Crowley 2021 MS4 Annual Report (see PDF below)
- 12 Tips to Prevent Storm Water Pollution (see PDF below)
- Protecting Water Quality from Urban Runoff (see PDF below)