Storm Water

What is storm water?

Storm water is storm water runoff, snow melt runoff, and surface runoff and drainage.

The storm water requirements of the federal Clean Water Act are administered under the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s MPDES Phase II program, requiring implementation of a storm water management program for minimizing impacts from stormwater runoff.  The MS4 permit requires to the City of Great Falls to implement 6 Minimum Control Measures (MCMs). The 6 minimum control measures are:

MCM-1 & 2 Public Education, Outreach, Involvement, and Participation

MCM-3 Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

MCM-4 Construction Site Storm Water Management

MCM-5 Post-Construction Site Storm Water Management in New and Redevelopment

MCM-6 Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Permitte Operations

Implementing the 6 MCM’s helps the City of Great Falls improve water quality and comply with the MS4 Permit.