Minnesota Pollution Control Agency logo on white background [ [link removed] ]




Stormwater news banner









Keeping Minnesota stormwater (and our rivers and lakes) clean






"January, 2025"

________________________________________________________________________



MECA
2025 MECA conference & trade show

Jan. 28-30, 2025


MS4 pre-conference and conference presentations

Storm Drain Stenciling [ [link removed] ]

If you want to learn how to better control erosion and improve compliance with your Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit, you'll want to attend the 2025 Minnesota Erosion Control Association Conference & Trade Show, Jan. 28-30, 2025, in St. Cloud, Minnesota. 

MPCA and city staff will be presenting a *MS4 Training, Documentation, and TMDL *Pre-Conference workshop on Jan. 28. Conference sessions (Jan. 29-30) will cover *MS4-Start to Finish *and *NPDES Compliance Update: Construction and MS4*, among other topics. 

For more information,* CLICK HERE [ [link removed] ]*. Please register by *Friday, Jan. 10, 2025*. 



________________________________________________________________________



Winter salt week: Jan. 27-31

Salt on sidewalk

Reducing winter salt use does not compromise safety and it helps keep our freshwater lakes and streams from the harmful effects of chloride. To highlight both the problems and solutions to salt pollution, Jan. 27-31, 2025, has been designated Winter Salt Week. MPCA is a proud partner of Winter Salt Week which features daily live streams from ecologists, public works staff, and policymakers from across the United States. Everyone can learn more about the environmental toll of de-icers, private industry successes, actions that states are taking, and how individuals can get involved!

Learn about the speakers and register at www.wintersaltweek.org [ [link removed] ], then tune in starting Monday, Jan. 27th at 12:30pm CST.

The MPCA Chloride reduction program is hosting a special event for the Friday, Jan. 31, community events day. Join us online at 11am CST for the 2-hour Smart Salting for Community Leader’s workshop. Please register [ [link removed] ] in addition to Winter Salt Week events to receive the workshop link.

For additional questions about these events, chloride or the MPCA’s Smart Salting Trainings [ [link removed] ], email [email protected] .



________________________________________________________________________



Save money, reduce salt pollution at home

water softener

As with salt in our meals, a moderate amount of salt in a water softener isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For many Minnesotans who live with hard water, that salt works to lather their soap and stop the buildup of scale in their appliances.

Also, as with salt in our meals, too much salt in a water softener is harmful. It drains wallets, strains backs, and is toxic for the environment. And it’s often not necessary to use much salt in a water softener.

“People don’t often pay attention to the settings on their water softeners,” said Brooke Asleson, who coordinates the MPCA’s chloride reduction program. “Most of the time, they’re still on the factory setting with the highest chloride discharge.”

*CLICK HERE [ [link removed] ]* to read the whole story. 



________________________________________________________________________



MS4 mapping update

MS4 mapping

A comprehensive geodatabase reflecting total maximum daily load (TMDL) wasteload allocation (WLA) areas for MS4s has been completed! Instead of accessing 90 zipped files through a Sharebase site, the new geodatabase has been checked for accuracy, streamlined, and will be updated as new TMDLs with MS4 WLAs become approved by the US EPA. Stormwater Manual link with more information: Additional resources for completing the TMDL form - Minnesota Stormwater Manual [ [link removed] ]

Direct link to where they are stored in the MnGeo Commons: TMDL Wasteload Allocation Areas for MS4s - Resources - Minnesota Geospatial Commons [ [link removed] ]

Additionally, the MS4 Stormwater Mapping Tool has been updated to better reflect 2020 MS4 General Permit language. It displays the TMDL WLA areas described above if you don’t have GIS capability. It also has a new link: Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit Requirements (2024) [ [link removed] ]

Contact Anna Bosch at [email protected] with any questions about either resource.







________________________________________________________________________



Ensuring quality control in stormwater sampling

Sampling of industrial stormwatet to ensure permit compliance

Industrial stormwater permit holders must ensure stormwater samples meet proper holding times and temperature preservation requirements for their stormwater samples. In most cases this means the sample must be cooled to* ≤ 6 ° Celsius*.

For reference, holding time and temperature requirements can be found online in the Code of Federal Regulations linked here: 40 CFR 136.3 [ [link removed] ]. Accredited labs are required to identify when samples do not meet the proper preservation or holding time requirements.  Ideally, the lab will contact you upon receiving samples when preservation requirements are not met. In those cases, permittees should attempt to gather another sample in that same monitoring period in order to have a sample that properly meets the preservation requirements.

If a new sample cannot be taken, the permittee should indicate that no sample was taken on the compliance monitoring report and select “other” as the reason. Then, report the result of the analysis in the comment field of the monitoring report as well as a description of the preservation/procedure deficiency. The sample result should not be used when calculating the benchmark value. Permittees must take action to ensure future similar issues do not recur. Please routinely review lab reports to check for qualifiers indicating preservation requirements were not met.

For more information, visit the MPCA Industrial Stormwater web page [ [link removed] ]. 



________________________________________________________________________



*Industrial Stormwater 2025 permit and no exposure updates since October stakeholder meetings*:

Industrial stormwater captured at Valmont Industries, a metal fabricating facility in Farmington, MN

In Oct. 2024, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) Industrial Stormwater (ISW) Program held virtual informational meetings that specifically focused on new requirements for certain facilities that support the MPCA’s efforts to identify and reduce sources of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the environment. The ISW Program received several questions and comments during and after the informational meetings.

In response, the ISW Program made the following changes to its proposed 2025 NPDES/SDS ISW General Permit (2025 Permit) and No Exposure Certification (NEC) policy:

"Update to the NEC policy and timeline: "As discussed during the informational meetings, all facilities with a primary SIC Code associated with PFAS as identified in Appendix D of the draft 2025 Permit which are seeking NEC must complete four separate PFAS stormwater monitoring events prior to certifying as no exposure. To meet no exposure, PFAS monitoring results must be below the thresholds identified in Table I below. The MPCA is modifying its timeline for these affected facilities by providing additional time to complete the PFAS monitoring prior to being required to apply for the 2025 Permit. By Dec. 21, 2025, the required facilities must have completed their PFAS monitoring and analysis and apply for NEC or permit coverage.  If PFAS results are at or above the thresholds identified, then the facility must obtain 2025 Permit coverage.

"Table I. PFAS Thresholds for NEC"

*Base Thresholds *



*Special Thresholds: Facilities within 1 mile of a DWSMA or a Class 1 Water *



10 ng/L for PFOA

10 ng/L for PFOS



4 ng/L for PFOS

4 ng/L for PFOA

10 ng/L for PFHxS

10 ng/L for PFNA and

10 ng/L for HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX chemicals)



 

"Update to PFAS method requirement: "All facilities with a primary SIC Code associated with PFAS as identified in Appendix D of the draft 2025 Permit will be required to monitor for PFAS. During the informational sessions, MPCA discussed that both monitoring and analysis of a facility’s PFAS samples must be completed in compliance with the current version of the U.S. EPA’s Method 1633. The MPCA has modified this permit requirement, now recognizing a facility may utilize any version of the U.S. EPA’s Method 1633 when sampling and analyzing for PFAS.

Please see the ISW webpage, [link removed], to view the recordings and presentation slides and other “meeting resources” from the Oct. 2024 informational meetings copies



________________________________________________________________________







Stormwater News Briefs

Stormwater upgrade grants due Feb. 27, 2025 [ [link removed] ]

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced a $35 million grant round to prepare Minnesota’s aging stormwater infrastructure for climate change. Tribal Nations, cities, counties, and other local governments can apply for funding to upgrade their stormwater systems with climate-smart improvements that will protect drinking water and prevent flooding. Examples of projects eligible for funding through this program include stormwater retention ponds, improvements to streets to support rainwater drainage, increasing the capacity of stormwater pipes, planting rain gardens, and others. 

*The MPCA will hold an online-only informational meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 from 2 to 4 p.m. to answer questions about this grant opportunity. Click here to join the meeting [ [link removed] ].*

*Learn More* [ [link removed] ]


________________________________________________________________________



MS4 implementation guide

The MPCA MS4 stormwater program is developing a permit implementation guide for the MS4 General permit, to help permittees through developing and implementing a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP). The goal is to simplify and streamline resources for permittees to implement programs described under Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) 1 through 6, including sample checklists, educational flyers, and other materials. The guide should be completed in mid-2025. MS4 staff will let permittees know when this resource is available. 

________________________________________________________________________



MS4 general permit expiration and reapplication update

All MS4 permittees covered under the 2020 MS4 General Permit must submit an application for permit reissuance 180 days prior to permit expiration (by May 19, 2025). The Part 1 Application requires basic information such as MS4 contact information and owner or operator signatures, as well as a $400 application fee. In early 2025, the MPCA will notify permittees and provide the application form.

________________________________________________________________________



*Annual reporting deferred for all MS4 permittees covered by the 2020 MS4 general permit *

The MPCA is still in the process of developing a new e-service for the MS4 annual report. Reporting is deferred until the e-service is available. At that time, MS4 permittees will be expected to begin reporting MS4 activities for each previous reporting year (i.e., each calendar year after 2021).

For more information about the MS4 annual report, visit the *MS4 annual report webpage [ [link removed] ]*. 

________________________________________________________________________



MS4 annual assessments of MCM 1-6 still required

Remember, even though MS4 annual reporting has been delayed while the MPCA develops the new e-service, MS4 permittees must continue to conduct *internal* annual assessments for MCMs 1-6 each year (Permit items 16.9, 17.8, 18.18, 19.16, 20.23, and 21.15).

During audits, several permittees have reported that they hadn't conducted annual assessments. The result is six permit violations (almost 10% of audit items).

The annual assessment is a permittee's opportunity to evaluate SWPPP compliance and determine improvements to better keep stormwater (and our rivers and lakes) clean. 

Be sure to conduct annual assessments of MCM 1-6. If you have any questions, contact your MPCA MS4 Inspector. To find your inspector, *CLICK HERE* [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________



Industrial Stormwater annual reports

Industrial Stormwater General Permit holders are required to submit stormwater annual reports each year. The 2024 report is due by *Mar. 31, 2025*. All annual reports must be submitted within e-Services using the Industrial Stormwater Annual Report service. Instructions on how to complete the report can be found at the following link: [link removed]

If you have not previously submitted an annual report, you will need to have “Industrial Stormwater Reporting” as your access type for your facility in order to submit the report. Instructions on how to set up your account for this are in the following link: [link removed]






Questions about stormwater?

MPCA stormwater staff are available to answer questions about stormwater and your MS4 permit requirements. Click the button below to find staff contact information. 

*MS4 Staff Directory* [ [link removed] ]











Contact

If you have questions about or suggestions for this newsletter, contact:

 

Kevin Strauss

MPCA-Rochester

[email protected]

507-206-2624

 






The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is a state agency committed to ensuring that every Minnesotan has healthy air, sustainable lands, clean water, and a better climate.








  MPCA logo [ [link removed] ]   Manage preferences [ [link removed] ]  |  Help [ [link removed] ]  |  pca.state.mn.us [ [link removed] ]   MPCA Facebook [ [link removed] ] MPCA Instagram [ [link removed] ] MPCA LinkedIn [ [link removed] ] MPCA YouTube [ [link removed] ] MPCA Twitter [ [link removed] ]  
________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 
520 Lafayette Road North · Saint Paul, MN 55155 · 1-800-439-1420


body .abe-column-block {min-height: 5px;}