The mission of stormwater management is to improve and/or maintain stormwater drainage and discharge that have a significant adverse impact on the health, safety, and general welfare o the residents of Hamblen County and on the natural environment.

Stormwater is the runoff that occurs over land, roads, parking lots, and other surfaces during and after rain events. If it rains hard enough, water cannot be absorbed into the ground and instead flows over the surface, where it picks up dirt, chemicals, sediment and other pollutants and debris and plays a large role in local water pollution.

The Clean Water Act of 1972

Tennessee NPDES Stormwater Program – The NPDES stormwater program regulates stormwater discharges from three potential sources: municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), construction activities, and industrial activities. Operators of these sources are required to obtain coverage under an NPDES permit before they can discharge stormwater. This permitting mechanism is designed to prevent stormwater runoff from washing harmful pollutants into local surface waters.

Hamblen County is a “small MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System”. Per the State of Tennessee Stormwater Website, “The EPA phase II final rule requires NPDES permit coverage for stormwater discharges from certain small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s). In Tennessee, about 100 cities and counties are required to obtain coverage under a stormwater discharge permit and to implement a set of programs to manage the quality of stormwater runoff from their storm sewer systems. Tennessee issued the new small MS4 general permit on August 1, 2022, effective September 1, 2022. If the Division designates a municipality or nontraditional MS4 as a small MS4, the designee is required to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Division within 180 days of notice.”

Small MS4 Permit

One of the key elements of the MS4 Permit are the six Minimum Control Measures (Section 4.2) that each county must implement. These six measures are:

Public Education & Outreach | Public Participation | Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination |

Construction Site Runoff Control | Post-Construction Runoff Control | Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping

Hamblen County Stormwater Enforcement Response Plan

Hamblen County Illicit Discharge and Illegal Connection Control Measures

Hamblen County Erosion and Sediment Control Measures

Hamblen County Buffer Zone Regulations

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