County staff asks board to designate responsible official for new NPDES urban stormwater permit

Savannah Clement, Public Works program manager, reviewed the county’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) obligations under the Clean Water Act and described how the current permit applies to the urbanized portion of Cowlitz County that includes the cities of Longview and Kelso.

Clement said the county’s permit duties include mapping stormwater discharges, annual reporting, public education and outreach with partner cities through an interlocal agreement called “Cowlitz Clean Waters,” inspections tied to spill reporting, catch basin cleaning (the permit requires cleaning 25% of catch basins annually), and developing an urban street‑sweeping program to meet Ecology guidance. She said staff generally complete the annual report by mid‑February and submit by the end of March.

Clement asked the Board to designate the chair of the Board of County Commissioners as the county’s responsible official for Ecology notices and allow staff to delegate routine submittal signatures to Mike Moss, Public Services Director. Clement said Ecology requires re‑delegation when a new board is seated and that she would file the paperwork through the clerk if the board agreed. Commissioner Dahl said, “It sounds good to me,” and Clement said she will proceed and the paperwork will appear on the Tuesday agenda.

Clement clarified the county charges $39 per parcel per year for the county stormwater fee and that the fee is higher inside Longview and Kelso city limits. She also described on‑site stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs) for county facilities and the need to store salt and sand properly and keep spill kits on‑site.

Ending

No formal vote was taken at the workshop; staff said they will file the re‑delegation paperwork and present it to the board for formal action on the next agenda.