Storm Water Permit for Military Base Proposed by EPA to Protect Puget Sound

Due to its size, population and proximity to Puget Sound, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, recognized as the largest military installation on the West Coast, has received a proposed municipal storm water discharge permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When final, the permit is expected to help guide how storm water is managed across nearly 142 sq mi of base property for the next few decades.

“JBLM plays a vital role in our national security and the regional economy,” said Mike Bussell, director of EPA’s office of water and watersheds in Seattle. “We designed this new permit to help them accomplish their mission of providing a safe, healthy community for those who serve our country, while reducing the storm water pollution threat to base streams, lakes and Puget Sound.”

EPA’s draft municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit for JBLM is the first such proposed permit for a military or other federal facility in western Washington. The draft permit requires specific actions and activities that must be accomplished over at least the next five years to protect local waters.

JBLM has been implementing a storm water program for several years in anticipation of receiving a permit from EPA. Among the new requirements under the proposed permit, the base must control runoff from all construction sites; control runoff from all new development and redevelopment sites; map, inspect and maintain the storm system; and engage JBLM employees and the community about preventing pollutants in storm water runoff.

The permit also requires:

• Storm water runoff from redevelopment and new projects must meet performance standards through use of low impact development (LID) techniques and, if needed, traditional storm water features;
• A new construction project threshold of 5,000 sq ft or greater;
• A program to reduce runoff from the existing developed areas;
• A biological stream health monitoring program using aquatic insects in Clover and Murray Creeks.

Source: U.S. EPA