MS4 Permit

VCK helped advocate for the New Ventura County MS4* Permit adopted in May 2009 by the RWQCB. Important to the protection of Ventura County’s inland and coastal waterbodies, the New MS4 Permit provides additional necessary protections for the ecological integrity and water quality of Ventura County’s inland and coastal waterbodies by 1.) Setting forth Low Impact Development (“LID”) Provisions for new development and re-development that are adequately protective of water quality; 2.) Incorporating TMDLs, thus allowing TMDL pollution limits for stormwater runoff to be enforceable against the municipalities and the county; and by 3.) Setting forth performance criteria for best management practices (BMPs) to help ensure that BMPs adequately treat stormwater runoff.  

Importantly, VCK’s Watershed Monitoring Program is playing an important role in enabling the enforcement and implementation of the receiving water limitations provision of the MS4 permit, which is the permit tool used to improve the water quality of stormwater discharged from existing stormwater infrastructure. (Click here for more details)

*An MS4 is a system of conveyances that include catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, pipes, tunnels, or storm drains that discharges into waters of the United States. An MS4 moves water away from an area into a local water body, such a river, stream, lake, estuary, wetlands, lagoon, or marine waters.