When it rains or when snow melts, stormwater washes away pollutants that have accumulated on lawns, driveways, roads, highways, and parking lots. These pollutants flow over land into storm drain systems and ditches and eventually into rivers and streams. When left untreated, these pollutants can impair local and downstream water bodies used for swimming, fishing, aquatic life, and drinking water. You can help improve and protect the waters in Carroll County at home and in your municipality by learning more about stormwater pollution and prevention.

What is National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)?

The NPDES permit program, created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act (CWA), helps address water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the United States.  The program is administered through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  In Maryland, the EPA delegated a portion of its authority to the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE).  The NPDES permit requires jurisdictions to address water quality by performing tasks in the following areas:

• Education/Outreach: The County and Municipalities must inform citizens about the impact of pollution on water quality through the distribution of educational materials.
• Public Participation/Involvement: The County and Municipalities must provide opportunities to involve citizens in program implementation and activities such as storm drain stenciling, stream clean-ups, and representative involvement.
• Illicit Discharge Protection/Elimination: The County and Municipalities must develop and implement a plan to eliminate illicit discharges to the storm drain system, develop a system map of the storm drain network, and inform the community of hazards associated with improper disposal of waste.
• Construction Site Runoff Control: The County and Municipalities must develop and enforce a pollution control program for construction activities that disturb one or more acres of land by implementing temporary sediment basins, detention ponds, and other stabilization.
• Post Construction Runoff Control: The County and Municipalities must develop and enforce a program that addresses discharges of post-construction stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment areas.
• Pollution Prevention: The County and Municipalities must develop and implement a program to address pollution from county and municipal operations.
• Restoration: The County and Municipalities must develop and implement restoration plans for each six of the nine 8-digit watersheds to show actions that will be taken to restore water quality.​

Carroll County and Municipalities NPDES MS4 Phase I Permit

Stormwater Pollution Hotline 

Coordination of permit compliance measures between Carroll County and the municipalities is implemented through the Carroll County Water Resource Coordination Council (WRCC).  A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Carroll County and the municipalities address how cost-sharing will take place and the delegation of administrative responsibilities.

• Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) 2021
• Carroll County Water Resource Coordination Council

For More Information
For additional information about any of these stormwater topics, please call 410-386-2210 or email ccwaters@carrollcountymd.gov.