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City administrator outlines new MS4 stormwater permit requirements, public comment period ends Aug. 4
Summary
City administrator Nick Dutro briefed council on a draft municipal stormwater (MS4) permit that introduces new pollutant targets, outreach thresholds and several ordinance changes; the public comment period for the draft permit ends Aug. 4, 2026.
City administrator Nick Dutro told the Tiffin City Council on July 6 that the city is in the draft period for its new municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) permit and that the public comment period closes Aug. 4, 2026.
Dutro described the permit as requiring focused outreach and additional technical steps tied to total maximum daily load (TMDL) pollutants for the Sandusky River and its tributaries. "The draft of the general permit... the public comment period ends, and that is 08/04/2026," Dutro said. He listed the permit's primary pollutant concerns as total phosphorus, nitrate and nitrite, total suspended solids and sediment and explained the program's six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs), from public education to construction runoff control.
Why it matters: the new MS4 requirements will require the city to document outreach mechanisms, expand targeted messaging (including proper salt storage for residential and commercial/institutional audiences), update annual reports to identify each outreach mechanism and, in some cases, revise local ordinances to meet technical standards in the new permit.
Dutro noted the city already meets many of the MCM objectives but that some items will require council action: "Ordinances shall be revised to meet the technical requirements set forth in the next MPDS permit... we have a year after the permit approval to do so," he said. He also said the city will likely need to identify a project during the permit term that treats at least one acre of impervious area; that project could require city funding and separate council authorization.
The administrator said the city will apply for a new permit with the U.S. EPA after the comment period closes and that the water pollution control center's permit is being renewed concurrently; the water plant may be reclassified which could affect staffing and operator licensing requirements.
Council members asked procedural questions; Dutro said staff will return with specifics when the city identifies projects or ordinance language the law director must draft. Interested residents and stakeholders can submit comments before the Aug. 4 deadline.
