More than 1,000 Pennsylvania municipalities have a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Sewer System (MS4) permit that requires specific actions be taken to protect and restore local water quality. For those in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, there is the additional expectation of fulfilling certain pollution reduction obligations associated with the state’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) limitations. Recognizing that meeting these expectations is one of the costliest challenges local governments in Pennsylvania face, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 3 Office engaged the University of Maryland’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC) to provide direct technical assistance designed to help these communities map a path forward for implementation and financing.
This project was intended to accomplish two main goals: 1) participate in, and support the delivery of, virtual stormwater forums that would reach a broad swath of Pennsylvania MS4 communities with information and examples of how communities are working to meet permit requirements, and 2) provide direct assistance to at least ten communities to advance effective and efficient financing strategies for achieving stormwater expectations and priorities.
For more information, see the final report attached below.