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MS4 Permit

Licking County & Others MS4 Permit

The Licking County Commissioners hold a small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) which sets limits on what can be discharged, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to ensure that the discharge does not affect water quality or people's health.  Licking Soil & Water manages and assists with various aspects of the MS4 Program for many communities in Licking County including: City of Newark, City of Heath, City of Pataskala, Village of Buckeye Lake, Village of Granville, Village of Hebron, Village of Hanover, Etna Township, Licking Township, Granville Township, Harrison Township, Madison Township, Newton Township and Union Township.

The permit outlines 6 Minimum Control Measures or MCMs that entities are responsible for making progress and meeting goals for each category.  

Click the pictures below for information on each Minimum Control Measure (MCM)

Are you a developer? Check out these resources!

Additional Information on NPDES, MS4, and SWMPs

  • National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

    The Clean Water Act prohibits anybody from discharging "pollutants" through a "point source" into a "water of the United States" unless they have an NPDES permit. The permit sets limits on what can be discharged, monitoring and reporting requirements, and other provisions to ensure that the discharge does not affect water quality or people's health. Overall, the permit translates general requirements of the Clean Water Act into specific provisions tailored to the operations of each entity discharging pollutants. 

    More info on the NPDES program

  • Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit

    As defined by Ohio EPA, a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) is a conveyance or system of conveyances (including roads, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains) that are owned or operated by a public body, designed and used for collecting stormwater. The small MS4 permit operates under the NPDES permit. 

    There are approximately 7,250 MS4 permits currently operating in the United States!

  • Stormwater Management Program (SWMP)

    Under the NPDES MS4 permit, each permittee is required to have a Stormwater Management Program or SWMP. This follows the guidelines outlined in the NPDES permit but is customized for each specific service area and includes pollution prevention measures, treatment or removal techniques, monitoring, use of legal authority, and other appropriate measures to control the quality of storm water under 6 Minimum Control Measures.
     

Licking County & Others Current SWMP

Archived MS4 Annual Reports

Annual reports also available at the office at 771 East Main Street, Suite 100, Newark, OH.  Electronic copies are available by emailing the request to Information@LickingSWCD.com or calling 740-670-5330.