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WVDEP extends open comment period for reissuance of MS4 General Permit to July 22

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is extending the open comment period for the proposed reissuance of the West Virginia National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Water Pollution Control Permit WV0116025, which covers discharges to waters of the state from small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s). The agency is proposing that the General Permit be issued for a five-year term.

An MS4 is a conveyance or system of conveyances that is:

• Owned by a state, city, town, village or other public entity that discharges to waters of the U.S.
• Designed or used to collect or convey stormwater (e.g., storm drains, pipes, ditches)
• Not a combined sewer
• Not part of a sewage treatment plant, or publicly owned treatment works (POTW).

Stormwater runoff is generated from rain and snowmelt that flows over land or impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground. Runoff can pick up and deposit harmful pollutants like trash, chemicals, and dirt/sediment into streams, lakes, and groundwater. Construction sites, lawns, improperly stored hazardous wastes, and illegal dumping are all potential sources of stormwater pollutants.

This General Permit regulates storm water runoff from MS4s and is designed to prevent stormwater runoff from washing harmful pollutants into local surface waters.

The initial comment period opened on May 7, 2024 and was scheduled to end June 21, 2024.

The WVDEP has granted a 30-day extension for the comment period, which will now end at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 22, 2024.

Any interested persons may submit written comments on the draft permit. Comments can be sent via email or regular mail to:

Attn: Sharon Mullins
Email: Sharon.A.Mullins@wv.gov
Division of Water and Waste Management
601 57th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304

All comments received by the end of the comment period will be considered prior to the agency making its final determination on the draft General Permit. Correspondence should include the name and contact information of the writer and a concise statement of the nature of the issues raised.

The draft permit and fact sheet are available on the WVDEP website at https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/Programs/stormwater/MS4/Pages/default.aspx.

Hard copies are available for review at WVDEP headquarters in Charleston or any of the agency’s regional field offices, and can be mailed upon request.