SWM-CS 990205a !i�
North Central Texas Council Of Governments
TO: Regional Storm Water Program Contacts
FROM: James Caffey, Chairman
Regional Storm Water Management Coordinating Council
SUBJECT: Official extension of Phase II rules.
February 5, 1999
It was long rumored to happen and now it is official. October 29, 1999 is the new deadline for
promulgation of the federal storm water Phase II regulations, according to a January 15
settlement agreement between the U.S. EPA and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In
exchange for the eight -month reprieve, EPA will be required to:
1. By October 2000, publish a menu of best management practices and a model general
permit for municipal separate storm sewer systems, and
2. By October 2001, publish guidance on setting measurable goals that will assist in the
design, implementation, and evaluation of minimum measures.
As you were probably aware, the previous deadline for EPA to issue the Phase II final
regulations was March 1, 1999. Will this have a dramatic impact on our fegional storm water
program? Not at all. We knew the March 1999 deadline was only tentative. NCTCOG's work
plan for this year included a fourth regional forum to be held on the topic of the new regulations
when issued. A date was never set due to the uncertainty of the promulgation date. The
purpose of the forum was to bring the region together to discuss the impact of the regulations
and any changes that may have taken place. The forum will simply be postponed into next
fiscal year. You will note in the concessions EPA made to NRDC that they will be required to
follow through with many of the elements already outlined in the draft rules: a general permit,
requirement of minimum measures, a menu of BMPs, and guidance for "measurable goals."
From this it is apparent that the key elements of the draft rules will not be changed. Therefore,
we should move forward with the course we have laid out to develop a cost - effective regional
approach to the pending storm water permit requirements.
By now, you should have all received a tentative meeting schedule for the remainder of this
fiscal year and a notice of the upcoming February watershed meetings. At those meetings,
NCTCOG staff plans to go over an outline of the video that will be produced and a draft of the
policy position. Copies of these documents are enclosed for your review prior to the meetings.
Please look them over and come to the meeting ready with comments and suggestions. We will
also be reviewing elements discussed at the past regional public education fair and looking
forward to the next event. Recall that the watershed meetings offer a chance for you to bring
forward discussions on local water quality issues and concerns. I encourage you to take
advantage of this sounding board opportunity.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the watershed meetings. I may not be able to attend
them all, but would like to make as many as I can. I wish to get a sense of the diversity of local
issues being discussed. Expect a great meeting and it will be just that! See you there!
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