Stormwater Outreach Materials and Reference Documents

Stormwater pollution from point sources and nonpoint sources is a challenging water quality problem. Unlike pollution from industry or sewage treatment facilities, which is caused by a discrete number of sources, stormwater pollution is caused by the daily activities of people everywhere. Rainwater and snowmelt run off streets, lawns, farms, and construction and industrial sites and pick up fertilizers, dirt, pesticides, oil and grease, and many other pollutants on the way to our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Stormwater runoff is our most common cause of water pollution. Because stormwater pollution is caused by so many different activities, traditional regulatory controls will only go so far. Education and outreach are key components to any successful stormwater program. <LEARN MORE>

National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices

The National Menu of Best Management Practices for Stormwater Phase II was first released in October 2000. EPA has renamed, reorganized, updated, and enhanced the features of the website. These revisions include the addition of new fact sheets and revisions of existing fact sheets. Because the field of stormwater is constantly changing, EPA expects to update this menu as new information and technologies become available. Therefore EPA invites you to submit comments on the existing fact sheets and suggest additional fact sheet subjects <LEARN MORE>

Stormwater Information 

In 2003, the Pennsylvania State Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) began a stormwater management program called the MS4 in urbanized and developing areas of the state so that the Townships could better monitor and manage the pollutants that enter our waterways as a result of stormwater runoff.  South Coventry Township was selected to participate in this program because of our proximity to Pottstown, which is an urbanized area, as well as the fact that it is a developing community and has exceptional value streams.  As a result, the Township has created this portion of the website to educate our residents about this issue.  We hope that you not only find the information contained in these links as informative, but that you also utilize the information to help us keep our local bodies of water of exceptional value.

Links

• Stormwater Information
• EPA Stormwater Information
• PA DEP
  

WHAT NPDES MEANS TO YOU

Citizen involvement is an important part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Citizen involvement occurs at the time of the initial State NPDES authorization process, through submission of public comments and participation at public hearings, and may occur during any substantial program revision. Citizens may also participate in the Federal rulemaking process where NPDES program requirements are established. Citizen participation helps to ensure the NPDES permit program is working effectively in every community.

A large body of information is available to help interested citizens understand how the NPDES permit program helps to achieve the Nation's clean water goals. If you are a citizen that wants more information on the NPDES permit program, Water Permitting 101 [PDF Format] is a brief overview and history of NPDES program.

Washing the car can be lots of fun BUT.....

Did you know it can benefit your lawn, too? It’s true! Just pull your car onto the grass and wash it there. Your lawn will gladly soak up the water. Plus the grass will break down the soap and absorb any phosphates for use as fertilizer.

Keeping soapy water out of storm drains and ditches protects water quality. That’s because anything that enters storm drains or ditches is headed straight for your local lake or river. No filters, no treatment. If you can’t wash your car on the lawn, use a commercial car wash. Regulations require commercial car washes to collect and treat the wash water.

Want to learn more, click on link below:

"What You Can Do To Protect Local Waterways" (PDF format)

or visit the EPA web site