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County and Clean Water Services approve updated cooperative management agreement
Summary
After nearly two years of staff collaboration the county and Clean Water Services adopted a revised intergovernmental agreement that clarifies roles for permitting, capital project coordination and regulatory responsibilities; both county and URMD boards approved the IGA 5–0.
Washington County and Clean Water Services on March 17 approved an updated cooperative management intergovernmental agreement aimed at clarifying roles, codifying permitting coordination and improving capital-project workflows between the agencies.
Stephen Roberts, Washington County director of Land Use and Transportation, said the update grew out of two years of work and reflects a focus on partnership and shared processes. Jamie Hughes, compliance operations manager at Clean Water Services, said the 2005 agreement’s automatic renewals and more recent regulatory changes required a joint review. The revised IGA retains many existing operating provisions and adds more detail on roles and regulatory responsibilities, including specification that Clean Water Services holds the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit while coordinating implementation with the county.
A notable product of the work was a capital-project coordination flowchart that lays out stage gates and the information each agency needs at each project phase. County staff described the stage-gate model as a way to reduce project delays caused by late or incomplete information, and said continued staff-level work groups will refine standards for transportation corridor and regional stormwater projects.
The board approved two separate motions — one in its role as the Board of Commissioners and one as the Urban Road Maintenance District board — and both carried unanimously, 5–0. Commissioners praised the cross-agency collaboration and described the agreement as a practical step to save time and money on future transportation and stormwater projects.
The IGA will guide staff coordination on permitting, capital project development and ongoing program work. Staff said the joint workgroups created during the negotiation will continue meeting to implement process improvements and to coordinate on standards and future partnership projects.
