St. Albans MS4 Stormwater Management

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Illicit Discharge

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Illicit Discharge: Be the Solution To Water Pollution

Be The Solution

Be the Solution to stormwater pollution. Report Illicit Discharge to help us protect our most precious resource.

examples-of-illicit-discharge-in-stormwater-drains

What Is Illicit Discharge?

The U.S. EPA defines an illicit discharge as, “any discharge into an MS4-Municipal Storm Sewer System that is not composed entirely of stormwater, except for discharges allowed under a NPDES permit.” This means that anything other than the water (rain or snow) that falls from the sky and enters a storm drain system is an illicit discharge.

Read More from the EPA on IDDE

Why are IDDE Efforts Necessary?

The City of St. Albans, like many other cities, is required under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit to find and eliminate these problems to comply with the federal Clean Water Act. But, eliminating illicit discharges is also very necessary to protect our environment, wildlife, aquaitic life, water ways, and more!

Common Types of Illicit Discharge

Ways Illicit Discharge Enters Stormwater Systems

1. Direct connections from wastewater pipes.
2. Indirectly from infiltration by cracked sanitary pipes or spills.
3. Oil, household waste, pesticides fertilizers, and pet waste.

Why you should report and prevent an illicit discharge?

The result is untreated discharges that contain pollutants, including oil, heavy metals, bacteria, and excess nutrients from fertilizer, which can harm our water quality, wildlife, and human health.