LAC 33:IX.2517. What are the objectives of the storm water regulations for small MS4s?

A. LAC 33:IX.2517-2529 are written in a readable regulation format that includes both department guidance, which is not legally binding, as well as code requirements. This format is used to make it easier to understand the regulatory requirements. Like other department regulations, this establishes enforceable legal requirements. For these Sections, I and you refer to the owner/operator. The department has clearly distinguished its recommended guidance from the code requirements by putting the guidance in a separate paragraph headed by the word guidance. B. Under the statutory mandate in Section 402(p)(6) of the Clean Water Act, the purpose of this portion of the storm water program is to designate additional sources that need to be regulated to protect water quality and to establish a comprehensive storm water program to regulate these sources. (Because the storm water program is part of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (LPDES) program, you should also refer to LAC 33:IX.2311, which addresses the broader purpose of the LPDES program.) C. Storm water runoff continues to harm the nation's waters. Runoff from lands modified by human activities can harm surface water resources in several ways, including by changing natural hydrologic patterns and by elevating pollutant concentrations and loadings. Storm water runoff may contain or mobilize high levels of contaminants, such as sediment, suspended solids, nutrients, heavy metals, pathogens, toxins, oxygen-demanding substances, and floatables. D. The department strongly encourages partnerships and the watershed approach as the management framework for efficiently, effectively, and consistently protecting and restoring aquatic ecosystems and protecting public health.