Smithville updates MS4 stormwater program; 60% of basins targeted for inspection

At a Smithville work session, Myers, a city staff member, gave an update on the city’s MS4 stormwater program and its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES/MPDES) permit, saying the permit operates on a five‑year cycle and the city is in year five of reporting to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The update said Smithville started an inlet‑cleaning program in 2024, completed training on illicit discharge detection and elimination with public works staff, launched street sweeping and leaf management efforts, and finished a GIS inventory of retention and detention basins. Myers said the city also began basin maintenance inspections and will mail letters to homeowners associations and basin owners this spring with inspection findings and recommended maintenance schedules.

“Stormwater never travels alone,” Myers said, urging residents to report clogged inlets and noting the city still has decals available for stormwater inlets that were part of an initiative from Alderman Atkins.

Why it matters: The MS4/NPDES program documents the city’s stormwater controls and is a condition of the permit the transcript identifies as issued by DNR. Compliance actions such as inlet cleaning, construction‑site inspections, basin maintenance and public education are the program elements regulators review in the city’s annual report.

Key details discussed - Inspection coverage: Myers said the city plans to inspect 60% of its basins, using a checklist and recommending minimum maintenance (examples cited: mowing twice a year for some basins). - Basin standards: Myers described two basin types — detention basins that temporarily hold runoff and retention basins that hold water — and said maintenance goals include preventing trash, limiting woody vegetation on basins meant to be grassed, and ensuring inlet/outlet structures show no erosion. - GIS and outreach: City staff reported the basin inventory is already in the city GIS and that inspection records and photos will be added as inspections proceed. Staff will send letters this spring to basin owners and HOAs with follow‑up contact information. - Events and programs: The city plans an e‑waste event on April 5 and a household hazardous‑waste collection (no date specified beyond the April event); staff said community education will continue through newsletters and social media.

Questions from board members asked for clarification about what city inspectors look for in basins and whether basin data are maintained in the city GIS; Myers answered that structural condition, erosion, vegetation and inlet/outlet integrity are on the checklist and confirmed the inventory is already in the GIS.

Next steps: Staff will roll out basin inspection letters in spring, continue inlet‑cleaning as an ongoing program, and keep public outreach active. Myers invited questions about the MS4 permit and program.