Great Lakes Stormwater Workshop

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)

11 Regional offices, one Main Office in Albany
9000 employees
350 capital projects +/- per year

Stormwater Program in New York State

• Program administered by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)
  • State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES)
• 2 general permits issued in 2003
  • Construction Activities (GP-02-01)
    • Threshold 1 acre of disturbance
    • New development vs. redevelopment
    • Standard practices vs. Alternative practices
    • Standard practices - removes 80% TSS, 40% TP
    • Water Quality Volume (WQv), Channel Protection Volume (Cpv), Overbank Food Control (Qp, 10-yr, 24-hr event), Extreme Flood Control (Qf, 100-yr, 24-hr event)
    • TMDL Watersheds (Onondaga Lake Watershed, NYC East of Hudson (EOH) Watershed)
    • 303d List Waterbodies (101 due to urban runoff or construction impacts)
    • NO monitoring of stormwater management practices (one project in NYC Watershed where the commitment has been made)
  • MS4s (GP-02-02)
    • Outfall mapping in Designated Urbanized Areas
    • Proposed Heightened Requirements in NYC EOH Watershed
• Projects on Indian Lands in NYS authorized by NPDES Construction General Permit
• Different criteria to meet NYC Department of Environmental Protection requirements.

NYSDOT Stormwater Management Program

• Stormwater Management Program coordinated from Environmental Analysis Bureau in Main Office
• Stormwater Webpage - http://www.dot.state.ny.us/eab/stormwater.html
• Construction Projects
  • 250 projects (+/-) authorized under Phase 2 since 2003
  • MOU between NYSDOT & NYSDEC in 2003
  • Did not pursue general permit for NYSDOT
  • Design Guidance nearly final - Appendix B of Highway Design Manual, Chapter 8
    • List Activities/Projects where permanent SMPs are impractical
    • Routine Maintenance Activities
    • Minor Disturbance Projects - lessened permit requirements
  • Draft Stormwater Management Planning Guidance for Transportation Projects will be in NYSDEC publication
  • Environmental Procedures Manual Chapter 4.3 - Erosion & Sediment Control and Stormwater Management
  • Draft Erosion & Sediment Control Manual
  • Environmental Staff in Construction & Maintenance Departments in each region
  • Environmental Handbook for Transportation Operations
  • Main Office staff conduct QA/QC construction site visits to evaluate specifications, policies, guidance.
• MS4 program
  • No written SWMP yet
  • Submitted NOI in 2003
  • Annual Reports due June each year
  • Outfall mapping in 10 regions - estimate 50,000 outfalls yet to be mapped.
• Future Issues
  • Stormwater Crediting/Banking
  • Watershed Characterization in project development
  • Revisit Pollutant Loading Models
  • Performance Specification and Approved List for Stormwater Treatment Systems (aka Oil/Grit Separators, Water Quality Inlets, Hydrodynamic Structures, Magical Swirly Devices)
  • New Product Evaluation Committee
  • Training for contractors/consultant inspectors

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Questions and feedback should be directed to Marlys Osterhues (marlys.osterhues@dot.gov, 202-366-2052).