An announcement from City of University Place.
With our location on the shores of Puget Sound, residents and business owners in University Place share the pleasure and responsibility that comes from living so close to this beautiful natural resource.
As such, the City of University Place is committed to meeting its obligations as a Phase II community that must comply with the Western Washington Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Stormwater Permit.
Implemented under the Federal Clean Water Act that was enacted by Congress in 1972, NPDES aims to reduce the amount of pollution that reaches streams, lakes, wetlands, oceans and all other water bodies. It requires municipalities to regulate stormwater runoff through programs that protect water quality to the “maximum extent practical.”
In University Place, a concerted effort is underway to reduce stormwater runoff. Of particular concern is stormwater that is polluted by toxic chemicals, such as those from:
- Copper used in brake pads and boat paints.
- Mercury from fluorescent light bulbs, dental fillings and other sources.
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from legacy products and some current paints and dyes.
- Polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), compounds formed during combustion.
- The pesticide DDT (and its metabolites DDD and DDE).
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from petroleum, creosote and wood combustion.
- Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plastic additive.
Each year, the City is required to report to the State by March 31 what it has done to achieve and maintain permit compliance in five major areas:
- Educational Outreach Program
- Public Involvement & Participation
- Detect & Eliminate Pollution
- Construction & Development
- Operation & Maintenance
