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Muskogee receives MS4 stormwater report; city to begin bacteria monitoring in June
Summary
City of Muskogee public works staff presented the annual Phase II MS4 stormwater report to the council, outlining public education, illicit-discharge response, construction inspections and a new requirement for bacteria monitoring of impaired water bodies starting in June 2025.
City of Muskogee public works staff presented the city’s annual Phase II municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) report and told the council the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality requires a new bacteria-monitoring program to begin this year.
“We have requirements from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to prepare a plan and prevent pollutants from entering our storm drain,” said Abigail Wright, environmental technician in the Public Works Department, during the May 12 meeting.
Wright told the council the MS4 program includes six minimum control measures: public education and involvement; industrial stormwater (not currently applicable); illicit-discharge detection and elimination; construction-site runoff control; post-construction management for new development and redevelopment; and pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations.
The report summarized last year’s outreach and field work: a stormwater booth at the Home and Garden Show and displays at City Hall and the Martin Luther King Center; an Azalea cleanup that drew 1,214 volunteers; two household hazardous-waste collection events; and 20,286 residents recycling materials at the city’s recycling center. The illicit-discharge program logged 92 complaints and completed 42 dry-weather inspections. City crews performed 653 construction-site inspections.
Wright also described operations work: street sweeping covered 2,883 curb miles, drainage and storm-drain maintenance covered 1,042 miles, and a litter crew removed 1,750 bags of trash. She said the city is updating best-management practices to comply with the MS4 permit and the DEQ’s new total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements.
The DEQ requires a water-quality monitoring program for impaired streams; the city identified sampling sites and plans to begin bacteria sampling in June 2025 for the Arkansas River and Goony Creek, both identified in the report as impaired for bacteria.
No formal council action was required on the report; staff presented the findings for council information and compliance tracking.
