Bulverde told to comply with MS4 stormwater requirements as exemptions end

City of Bulverde staff told the council that the city will no longer qualify for an MS4 stormwater exemption and must implement a stormwater management program that includes public education, construction-site inspections and a schedule of maintenance for bar ditches and other drainage features.

The staff update came in the latter part of the meeting as council members raised drainage and right-of-way maintenance as recurring complaints from residents. A staff speaker said the state has "done away with the exemptions" and that compliance will require an organized program spread over several years.

Why it matters: the MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) program requires cities to document and enforce erosion- and sediment-control measures during construction, to perform routine inspections and to show a public-education plan. Council members linked the MS4 requirements to prior complaints that culverts and bar ditches have not been maintained and noted that enforcement and inspection capacity will be necessary.

City staff said the program will include a website page, a formal inspection process for construction projects and a coordinated schedule for ditch and culvert maintenance. Councilors asked that incoming public-works staff or a new public-works director be familiar with MS4 compliance, and the mayor noted that several candidates for the public-works role already list MS4 experience on their resumes.

Ending: Council asked staff to bring a proposed stormwater management schedule and draft public-education materials, and to include MS4 compliance tasks in forthcoming job descriptions for department heads.