The reissued Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permit was issued July 11, 2014 and becomes
effective August 11, 2014. The MS4 General Permit covers stormwater discharges from small regulated
urbanized areas as well as public institutions such as hospitals, universities, highways within urbanized
areas, and prisons.
The regulatory definition of an MS4 (40 CFR 122.26(b)(8)) is "a conveyance or system of conveyances
(including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made
channels, or storm drains):
- Owned or operated by a state, city, town, borough, county, parish, district, association, or other
public body (created to or pursuant to state law)...including special districts under state law such as
a sewer district, flood control district or drainage district, or similar entity, or an Indian tribe or
an authorized Indian tribal organization, or a designated and approved management agency under section
208 of the Clean Water Act that discharges into waters of the United States.
- Designed or used for collecting or conveying stormwater.
- Which is not a combined sewer.
- Which is not part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) as defined at 40 CFR 122.2.
Municipalities and other entities that are regulated under the WV small MS4 general permit are required to
develop and implement stormwater management programs. These stormwater managment programs include six
measures that help to protect and restore water quality from polluted runoff.