Operators of MS4s that are regulated by the NPDES (including Polk County) are required to develop and implement a comprehensive Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) that must include pollution prevention measures, treatment or removal techniques, monitoring, use of legal authority, and other appropriate means to control the quality of stormwater discharged from the MS4. The Polk County Natural Resources Division Water Resources Section is responsible for administering the county MS4 permit and for managing its MS4 facilities. The county adopted a stormwater Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) in 2013 to provide a dedicated funding source for this work.
Baffleboxes have chambers that can capture and store nutrient rich vegetation, floatable trash and sediments.
The SWMP outlines the goals, strategies and programs that have been established to improve water quality. It addresses existing and future conflicts between flooding, development, and conservation lands, and describes how valuable natural resources can be enhanced. Components of an SWMP typically include public education and outreach, public involvement, illicit discharge prevention, detection and elimination, construction and post-construction site runoff control, pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations, water quality monitoring and watershed assessment.
The Water Resources Section is responsible for administering and updating the SWMP The SWMP addresses pollution discharge concerns in each of the county's stormwater basins.
Algae in canal.
The Water Resources and Drainage group are responsible for stormwater planning, including administering and updating the SWMP, and creating individual Basin Master Plans as part of its planning process. These plans address flooding and pollution discharge concerns in each of the County's stormwater basins.
