NPDES Stormwater Permit

Stormwater discharges in the Town of Yarmouth are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Stormwater Permit Program. Under this program, Yarmouth was required to obtain NPDES permit coverage under the 2003 and 2016 "General Permit for Stormwater Discharges form Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4)" for its stormwater discharges. This permit program was created with the intention of improving the quality of the nation’s waterways by reducing pollutant loads associated with stormwater runoff.

Under this permit, Yarmouth is required to develop and implement a Notice of Intent (NOI) and Stormwater Management Program (SWMP), which identifies Best Management Practices (BMPs) the Town will implement to address the following six “minimum control measures (MCMs)”:

1. Public Education and Outreach
2. Public Participation and Involvement
3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
4. Construction Site Runoff Control
5. Post-Construction Runoff Control
6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations

Yarmouth submitted its first Notice of Intent (NOI) to discharge under the permit to EPA and MassDEP in 2003. A second NOI was filed in 2018 to meet the 2016 permit requirements. The 2018 NOI summarizes Yarmouth’s proposed SWMP to comply with the permit, which is detailed further in Yarmouth’s written Stormwater Management Program (SWMP Plan) and Illicit Discharge Deletion and Elimination (IDDE Plan) both prepared in 2019 and updated in 2021 & 2022 subsequently. Yarmouth will submit Annual Reports to EPA and MassDEP by September 28th of each year summarizing the progress of its SWMP. The NOI and Annual reports are available on EPA's website. To provide comment on our stormwater management plan, please contact Jeff Colby at jcolby@yarmouth.ma.us.

Click the links to the left to learn more about stormwater management in Yarmouth.