Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Stormwater Management Program For Coverage Under The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) Department of Conservation and Recreation 251 Causeway Street Boston, MA, 02114 EPA NPDES Permit Number MAR043001 June 28, 2019 Contents Certification .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Background ................................................................................................................................................... 6 Regulatory Context ................................................................................................................................... 6 DCR Organization .................................................................................................................................... 6 DCR Regulated Properties ........................................................................................................................ 7 Receiving Waters ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) ............................................................................................ 8 Small MS4 Authorization ........................................................................................................................... 10 Stormwater Management Program Team ................................................................................................... 10 Eligibility: Endangered Species and Historic Properties ............................................................................ 11 Endangered Species Act (ESA) Eligibility Determination ..................................................................... 11 National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Eligibility Determination .................................................. 12 MCM 1 Public Education and Outreach ..................................................................................................... 13 MCM 2 Public Involvement and Participation ........................................................................................... 17 MCM 3 Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Program ...................................................... 19 MCM 4 Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control .............................................................................. 24 MCM 5 Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment ............. 26 MCM 6 Good Housekeeping and Pollution Prevention for Permittee Owned Operations......................... 28 Surface Public Drinking Water Supply Protection ..................................................................................... 33 TMDLs and Water Quality Limited Waters ............................................................................................... 35 Charles River Watershed Phosphorus TMDL......................................................................................... 36 Lake and Pond Phosphorus TMDLs ....................................................................................................... 37 Assabet River Phosphorus TMDL .......................................................................................................... 38 Phosphorus Impaired Waterbodies/ Out of State Phosphorus TMDLs ................................................... 38 Cape Cod Nitrogen TMDLs .................................................................................................................... 42 Nitrogen Impaired Waterbodies/ Out-of-State TMDLs .......................................................................... 43 Bacteria/Pathogens Impaired Waterbodies/ TMDLs .............................................................................. 46 Chloride Impaired Waterbodies .............................................................................................................. 49 Solids, Oil and Grease (Hydrocarbons), or Metals Impaired Waterbodies ............................................. 51 Annual Evaluation ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Appendices Appendix A. MS4 Regulated Area Map and List of Regulated Properties Owned or Operated by DCR Appendix B. List of Receiving Waters Appendix C. Endangered Species Act Eligibility Documentation Background The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is committed to maintaining the important recreational, historical, and natural resources available to the people of Massachusetts at DCR parks, reservations, forests, beaches, rinks, pools and parkways. DCR understands the importance of water quality and the impact of stormwater to all of these facilities including the threat of pollution from stormwater and erosion. DCR’s Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) outlines our existing and planned measures to address these threats and to comply with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). Regulatory Context Under the Clean Water Act, the Stormwater Phase II Final Rule was promulgated in 1999 and was the next step after the 1987 Phase I Rule in EPA's effort to preserve, protect, and improve the Nation's water resources from polluted stormwater runoff. The Phase II program expands the Phase I program by requiring additional operators of MS4s in urbanized areas and operators of small construction sites, through the use of NPDES permits, to implement programs and practices to control polluted stormwater runoff. Phase II is intended to further reduce adverse impacts to water quality and aquatic habitat by instituting the use of controls on the unregulated sources of stormwater discharges that have the greatest likelihood of causing continued environmental degradation. Under the Phase II rule all MS4s with stormwater discharges from Census designated Urbanized Area are required to seek NPDES permit coverage for those stormwater discharges. On May 1, 2003, EPA Region 1 issued its Final General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (2003 MS4 Permit) consistent with the Phase II rule. The 2003 MS4 Permit covered "traditional" (i.e. cities and towns) and "non-traditional" (i.e. federal and state agencies) MS4 operators located in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This general permit expired on May 1, 2008 but remained in effect until operators were authorized under the most recent permit. In 2016 EPA issued the General Permits for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System in Massachusetts (2016 MS4 permit) and the permit became effective on July 1, 2018. DCR has been implementing its Stormwater Management Plan since receiving Authorization to Discharge under the 2003 MS4 Permit. This updated SWMP reflects new requirements within the 2016 MS4 Permit and improvements that DCR has made to its program over the past several years. DCR Organization The Legislature created the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in July 2003 by merging the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM). DCR manages over 480,000 acres of watershed, forests, parks, open space. DCR is under the general management of the Commissioner of the DCR. The general administration divisions including the Human Resources Division, the Financial Division, and External and Legislative Affairs, report directly to the Commissioner. DCR organization structure includes the following divisions, bureaus, and offices The Division of MassParks Operations maintains the state’s forests, beaches, mountains, ponds, riverbanks, trails, and parks outside of the Greater Boston area. The Division protects land and resources on privately and municipally held land through conservation restrictions, technical assistance, grant and planning programs, policy development, and other services. DRAFT Page 6 The Bureau of Planning, Design & Resource Protection provides professional planning, design and project management services, and natural and cultural resource protection in support of DCR’s state parks and forests, urban parks and reservations, and water supply divisions. The Division of Engineering provides comprehensive and various types of engineering services throughout the Commonwealth in support of the DCR’s many facilities programs and missions including Office of Dam Safety and Urban Flood Control. Construction Access Permits are issued through Engineering to enable access to DCR property for new developments, municipal and utility construction and repair. The Stormwater Engineering group provides stormwater management, drainage maintenance and repair for DCR properties. Stormwater Engineering also oversees street sweeping and waste management activities, construction site monitoring, illicit drainage connection investigations, and measures to address waste load allocations to impaired waters as identified by MA DEP. The Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry offers programs to promote, protect and enhance healthy and diverse wooded and urban forests throughout our Commonwealth including grant opportunities for urban forestry and