South Shore Estuary News: Preparing Long Island Communities to Meet the Requirements of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Phase II Storm Water Regulations

Exciting Workshop Draws a Crowd

On September 25, 2002, over 130 elected officials, municipal workers, consultants, and federal and State agency staff packed the Lenox Room at Bethpage State Park for a workshop titled Preparing Long Island Communities to Meet the Requirements of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Phase II Storm Water Regulations. Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney welcomed the attendees.

Lois New of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) opened the workshop with an overview of the EPA Phase II Storm Water Rule. The rule automatically regulates two classes of storm water discharge– operators of small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), and operators of construction activities that disturb at least one but less than five acres of land– in areas of the Nation meeting a defined population threshold. The rule also authorizes a state to designate other areas to be covered by the rule based on the sensitivity of surface waters receiving discharged storm water runoff.

Ms. New went on to describe New York’s Phase II Storm Water Program, which will implement the federal regulations in the State. Under this program, nearly all of Long Island, and all of the South Shore Estuary Reserve, are required to comply with the new storm water rule. Each regulated municipality will need to complete and submit to the DEC a Notice of Intent by March 10, 2003, outlining how the municipality plans to address the six minimum control measures called for in the federal rule through a five year storm water pollution prevention program.

Discussion of these control measures filled the rest of the morning agenda. Presentations were made by Eileen Keenan (NY Sea Grant), Don Lake (NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee), Tony Conetta (Dvirka and Bartilucci Consulting Engineers) and James Maxwell (Commissioner of Public Works, City of New Rochelle). An afternoon session was presented by Margaret Peet (Monroe County Department of Health), on intermunicipal efforts in Monroe County to implement the rule. The session was followed by a question and answer session facilitated by Mark Tedesco (EPA, Long Island Sound Office).

The workshop was sponsored by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, Long Island Sound Study, EPA Long Island Sound Office, and the New York Sea Grant Program.

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	Exciting Workshop Draws a Crowd On September 25, 2002, over 130 elected officials, municipal workers, consultants, and federal and State agency staff packed the Lenox Room at Bethpage State Park for a workshop titled Preparing Long Island Communities to Meet the Requirements of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Phase II Storm Water Regulations. Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney welcomed the attendees. Lois New of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) opened the workshop with an overview of the EPA Phase II Storm Water Rule. The rule automatically regulates two classes of storm water discharge– operators of small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), and operators of construction activities that disturb at least one but less than five acres of land– in areas of the Nation meeting a defined population threshold. The rule also authorizes a state to designate other areas to be covered by the rule based on the sensitivity of surface waters receiving discharged storm water runoff. Ms. New went on to describe New York’s Phase II Storm Water Program, which will implement the federal regulations in the State. Under this program, nearly all of Long Island, and all of the South Shore Estuary Reserve, are required to comply with the new storm water rule. Each regulated municipality will need to complete and submit to the DEC a Notice of Intent by March 10, 2003, outlining how the municipality plans to address the six minimum control measures called for in the federal rule through a five year storm water pollution prevention program. Discussion of these control measures filled the rest of the morning agenda. Presentations were made by Eileen Keenan (NY Sea Grant), Don Lake (NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee), Tony Conetta (Dvirka and Bartilucci Consulting Engineers) and James Maxwell (Commissioner of Public Works, City of New Rochelle). An afternoon session was presented by Margaret Peet (Monroe County Department of Health), on intermunicipal efforts in Monroe County to implement the rule. The session was followed by a question and answer session facilitated by Mark Tedesco (EPA, Long Island Sound Office). The workshop was sponsored by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, Long Island Sound Study, EPA Long Island Sound Office, and the New York Sea Grant Program.