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DEP permit cycle, ‘volume management’ and rain‑barrel grant highlighted in MS4 year‑7 update
Summary
Municipal staff reported the MS4 permit will be renewed in a new cycle starting Oct. 1, 2026, noted a shift toward a volume‑management requirement and described a $10,000 grant that will distribute rain barrels at two workshops this summer.
Norristown staff on Tuesday provided an annual update on the municipality's Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program, noting the current permit will expire and a new permit cycle will run from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2031, according to the presentation.
Presenter Pinone told council the municipality will need to submit a notice of intent and a progress report; in the new permit cycle the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will emphasize a volume management plan to reduce peak runoff volumes, not just pollutant loads. Pinone said the municipality would have two years to develop the plan and would be expected to construct selected measures by the third year of the new permit cycle.
The presenter also discussed recent and planned stormwater work, including last year's piping replacements and three additional locations planned for the current year. Pinone said public works crews are jet‑cleaning inlets and cleaning piping as part of ongoing maintenance.
Nut graf: the shift from a pollutant‑reduction plan to a volume‑management focus means the municipality must consider infrastructure that holds back or infiltrates stormwater flows (for example, basins or other best management practices) and schedule design and construction steps to meet DEP deadlines.
Pinone said the municipality received a $10,000 grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation through the Pennsylvania Resources Council; the grant will fund two workshops where the PRC will distribute 55‑gallon rain barrels (the presenter said 75 barrels will be given out across workshops) and estimated that if all 75 barrels are distributed they would keep “almost 1,200,000 gallons of water” out of Norristown waterways. Councilmember Adira Robinson asked for clarification of the acronyms; Pinone defined MS4 as “municipal separate stormwater system” and confirmed that DEP stands for the Department of Environmental Protection.
Ending: staff asked that the MS4 update be included in the minutes for submittal to DEP and encouraged residents to register for the rain‑barrel workshops.
