Water pollution control, including provisions relating to stormwater management and control of discharges into storm sewers.

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, the administrative code of the city of New York, the New York city plumbing code and the New York city building code, in relation to water pollution control, including provisions relating to stormwater management and control of discharges into storm sewers

In 2015, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued a permit, under the federal Clean Water Act and the State Environmental Conservation Law, governing the operation of New York City’s municipal separate storm sewer systems (“MS4 Permit”), which governs stormwater infrastructure owned and operated by all City agencies, and requires management practices to reduce discharges of pollutants in stormwater runoff from all municipal operations and facilities in the MS4 area. This bill will fulfill the requirement in the MS4 Permit that the City demonstrate adequate legal authority to implement and enforce the terms of the Permit. In particular, the bill provides the City authority to act in a regulatory capacity to oversee and/or enforce requirements regarding activities that have the potential to contribute pollutants to stormwater runoff and the water bodies surrounding the City. Two of the programs addressed in the bill – involving stormwater runoff from commercial and industrial activities, and runoff from active construction sites and newly developed or redeveloped sites – involve the City taking over administration of existing State stormwater programs within the MS4 area. The third program, illicit discharge detection and elimination, continues, with minor updates, NYCDEP’s robust existing program to detect and address illicit discharges to the sewer system, and applies citywide.