The City of Eugene holds a permit under the federal Clean Water Act for the municipal stormwater it discharges directly into the Willamette River and indirectly into the Willamette River through other local waterways, including Amazon Creek. The permit is formally called the Phase I National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. The permit includes stormwater monitoring and reporting requirements, as well as a set of best management practices that define the City's Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) administers federal NPDES permits for municipalities and other local agencies in Oregon.

                              Current Draft Annual Report Available for Public Review and Comment

Information on the progress of permit activities are summarized in annual reports which are submitted to DEQ each December.  The draft “Year 6” annual report, which provides information on the progress of permit activities during the sixth year of the current (second) permit term (July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009), is now available for public review and comment. The report includes information about overall program management, status of program implementation, and a water quality monitoring report.  See link to the Draft Year 6 Report provided at the right under “NPDES Annual Reports.”

Comments received by 5 p.m. Tuesday, November 24 will be summarized in the City’s Year 6 Annual Report to DEQ.  Comments received after November 24 will be taken into consideration for possible future modifications to the City’s stormwater program. 

Send written comments to:

NPDES Permit, Attn: Therese Walch

Eugene Public Works

99 East Broadway, Suite 400

Eugene, OR  97401

Send e-mail comments to: therese.walch@ci.eugene.or.us.

                                                                            2009 Permit Renewal

First issued in 1994, and renewed in 2004, Eugene’s current NPDES permit term expires in February 2009.  In preparation for the upcoming permit renewal, the City evaluated its SWMP and Monitoring Plan to ensure that they continue to meet the objectives of the Clean Water Act and has proposed some modifications.  The City of Eugene submitted the revised proposed SWMP, Monitoring Plan, and other permit renewal materials to DEQ on September 2, 2008, including a summary of public comments on the SWMP and how the comments were addressed.  A fact sheet describing the evaluation and revised SWMP is provided at the right under “Permit Renewal.” The DEQ has administratively extended the current (2004) permit until it takes final action on the City’s renewal application.  When DEQ issues a draft permit for the City’s next permit term, it will conduct a public review process for the proposed permit conditions and proposed SWMP. It is anticipated that the DEQ’s public review process will occur in spring 2010 and that the City’s next permit will be issued by summer 2010.