Mission and History of the Stormwater Program
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.
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.”
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
Stormwater Regulations
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
How You Can Help
News, Public Notices, & Events
Stormwater and Public Health Presentation
Staff
Lindsey Horn
Stormwater Assistant
Darrell Chase
Stormwater Inspector
Tommy McKinney
Stormwater Inspector
Phone: (423) 581-1373
Email: stormwater@co.hamblen.tn.us
Stormwater Hotline:
(423) 585-4077
Please note that this hotline is for stormwater inquiries ONLY.
Annual Reports & State Audits
The State of Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Department of Water Conservation performs an audit for all MS4s every five (5) years to check for compliance with the NPDES permit.
As of the most recent audit, Hamblen County is in non-compliance. Our goal over the next five years is to rectify the areas of lapse in our department and make strong progress to become compliant. 2022 Audit Report
Monitoring Program
As part of the NPDES Permit, all MS4s are required to participate in a monitoring program to help collect data on watersheds in the state of Tennessee. The Hamblen County Stormwater Program is currently in the process of establishing a monitoring program and more information will become available as this project makes progress.