The Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) details how the City of Bellingham intends to comply with the terms and conditions of its mandatory, national pollution permit. This permit, also known as the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, is required because the City of Bellingham is designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology as one of thousands of municipalities in the United States requiring a special stormwater permit.
In order to meet the requirements of the stormwater permit, the City is asked to do the following each year:
- Evaluate how well we are doing in enacting the permit conditions through an annual report.
- Modify the Stormwater Comprehensive Plan (9,200K PDF) to reflect changes necessary to meet permit compliance and achieve the long term goal of clean water in our streams, lakes and bays.
Public Input
Bellingham Public Works Department solicits comments on the annual report submitted in March to the Department of Ecology (Ecology). This annual update to the SWMP is mandated as a requirement of the City’s NPDES permit with Ecology. Comments may be sent to the Storm and Surface Water Manager by emailing jporter@cob.org or calling (360) 778-7799. Please include “SWMP Comments” in the subject line of any correspondence.
