The City of Paris develops or advises and approves storm water systems within the Corporate Limits. In 2014 the City of Paris became a designated MS4 municipality. An MS4 is a conveyance or system of conveyances that is:
- Owned by a state, city, town, village, or other public entity that discharges to waters of the U.S.;
- Designed or used to collect or convey stormwater (including storm drains, pipes, ditches, etc.);
- Not a combined sewer; and
- Not part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (sewage treatment plant).
Polluted stormwater runoff is commonly transported through Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), from which it is often discharged untreated into local water bodies. To prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped into an MS4, operators must obtain an NPDES permit and develop a stormwater management program.
In accordance with the mandated program, the City of Paris has adopted an ordinance to provide regulations for the development as well as the maintenance of the City’s storm water system.
In administering the program the City must follow six minimum measures of the Phase II MS4 Permit:
- Public Education and Outreach
- Public Participation/Involvement
- Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
- Construction Site Runoff Control
- Post-Construction Runoff Control
- Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping
Links to City of Paris Stormwater Ordinance, Plans and Reports:
City of Paris Stormwater Management Ordinance
City of Paris MS4 Annual Report 2019
City of Paris Storm Water Management Program (SWMP)
City of Paris Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Plan
City of Paris Public Information and Education (PIE) Plan
(ERP) Enforcement Response Plan
Helpful Links to Understanding Water Pollution and What You Can Do:
State of Tennessee Stormwater Permitting
EPA Stormwater Rules and Notices
Fifteen Ways You Can Make a Difference
Stormwater and the Use of Pesticides
Training for Stormwater Discharge from Construction Sites and Developed Sites
Tennessee Stormwater Association
MTSU Stormwater Management Overview
