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Information: We recently updated this page and will continue to work on information about MS4 stormwater management. If you have suggestions, we welcome comments using the comment box at the bottom of most pages in the manual.

Information: NOTE: Minnesota uses the term Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) for MS4 stormwater, while several states and EPA may use the term Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). These terms refer to the same thing.

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System
Background Information 2020 MS4 General Permit MS4 Stormwater Permit Previous Permits Minimum Control Measures Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Tools and Resources MS4 Audit Guidance MPCA MS4 Technical Assistance Other Resources and Documents

MPCA MS4 staff contact information can be found at this link

The City of Austin, MN, has created this neat web-based story map about stormwater and MS4.

The municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) stormwater program is designed to reduce the amount of sediment and pollution that enters surface and ground water from storm sewer systems. Public entities that own or operate an MS4 play a key role in preventing or reducing the negative impacts stormwater runoff has on our valuable water resources.

Proper stormwater runoff management in urbanized areas is especially important for restoring and protecting surface waters. Urbanized areas are more likely to have activities that contribute pollutants to stormwater runoff, like applying anti/deicing mixtures to roads; fueling vehicles; grease, oil, and other spills; landscaping; and using pesticides and fertilizers. Urbanized areas have a large amount of impervious surfaces, or surfaces that rain and snowmelt cannot pass through, such as streets, driveways, rooftops, parking lots and sidewalks. Stormwater runoff from these surfaces travels faster and in higher amounts, damaging rivers, streams, and wetlands; destroying aquatic habitats; increasing the amount of pollutants that enter surface waters; and limiting groundwater recharge.

Background Information

• What is a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4)?
• Why is a municipality regulated under the MS4 permit?

2020 MS4 General Permit

• 2020 MS4 General Permit PDF Version
• 2020 MS4 General Permit Reissuance Page
• 2020 MS4 General Permit Wiki Version

MS4 stormwater permit

• 2018 Minneapolis Phase I Permit
• 2018 St. Paul Phase 1 permit
• MS4 Annual Report

Previous permits

• 2013 MS4 General Permit
• 2011 Minneapolis Phase I Permit
• 2011 St. Paul Phase I Permit

Minimum Control Measures

When seeking to manage a Municipal Storm Sewer System (MS4), an effective Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) has six different components known as Minimum Control Measures (MCMs).

• Minimum Control Measures 1 - Public Education and Outreach - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• Minimum Control Measures 2 - Public Participation/Involvement - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• Minimum Control Measures 3 - Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• Minimum Control Measures 4 - Construction Site Stormwater Control - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• Minimum Control Measures 5 - Post-Construction Stormwater Management - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• Minimum Control Measures 6 - Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) are EPA approved amounts of pollutant loading that can occur and have a water body meet water quality standards. Follow this link to learn more about them along with guidance and resources.

Tools and resources

• Assessing Total Suspended Sediment and Total Phosphorus Removal Efficiency of Permittee Owned/Operated Constructed Stormwater Ponds: guidance related to assessing the total suspended sediment (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency of MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permittee owned/operated ponds constructed and used for the collection and treatment of stormwater.
• Checklist Documents and Examples of Procedures - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• Documentation Requirements and Documents to Retain Under the MS4 Permit
• MS4 Mapping Tool: An interactive online map tool that can be used to view and explore Minnesota MS4 boundaries, defined urbanized areas, impaired waters, outstanding resource value waters, trout waters and approved TMDL study areas.
  
• New Permit Requirements and Related Guidance Materials
• Pollution prevention guidance fact sheets: A Collection of Links to a Variety of Minnesota Stormwater Manual Fact Sheets on Stormwater Pollution Prevention Methods Within MS4s.

MS4 audit guidance

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to evaluate MS4 permittees for compliance with the MS4 General Permit. The MPCA does this through compliance audits. To find out more information about the audit process see the pages below:

• General Stormwater Program Management - Examples for tracking activities in your SWPPP
• Phase II MS4 Audit Process
• Self-Audit Guidance for Phase II MS4s

MPCA MS4 technical assistance

• 2017 MS4 Technical Assistance and Outreach Needs Survey Results
• MS4 case studies
• MS4 webinars and videos
• MPCA MS4 staff contact information
• MPCA MS4 website

Other resources and documents

• Acknowledgements to contributors - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• MS4 outreach photo library - PAGE NEEDS TRANSFERRANCE
• MS4 Program Overview and minimum control measures (MCM) descriptions - YouTube video
• Pond, lake, and wetland inventory
• Stormwater and Wetlands - Planning and Evaluation Guidelines
• Untreated Stormwater Runoff to Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands