The City of Harrisonburg is regulated under the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation's MS4 Permit program. The City first obtained a permit to discharge stormwater from its municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) in 2003. The six minimum control measures that the City's MS4 Permit Program must address are:

1. Public Education and Outreach - on stormwater impacts - includes classroom educational activities for students K-12, plantings and stream restoration activities,  www.cleanstream.org website, and educational campaigns for residents, businesses and households on pet waste management, proper fertilization techniques, automobile maintenance, etc.
2. Public Participation/ Involvement - includes partnerships with local universities, State agencies, local citizen organizations to organize clean up activities and Blacks Run/ Downtown Clean Up Day, to lead volunteer opportunities, and involving citizens in the development and implementation of the MS4 program.
3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination - receiving citizen and staff reports on pollution issues such as spills and dumping and responding and remediating them to keep pollutants out of our waterways. Also includes the City's efforts in GPS mapping the City's storm sewer system and to provide household hazardous waste recycling and encouraging used oil recycling. If you have an incident to report, please call (540) 434-5928 or visit this page for more contacts.
4. Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control - on active construction sites - generally enforced through the city's Erosion & Sediment Control Program and the State's required Virginia Stormwater Management Program permit.
5. Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment (aka. Stormwater Management) - efforts in plan review, inspections and maintenance of stormwater management facilities after construction has completed to address quanitity (flooding) and quality (pollution) issues on properties.
6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping - for municipal operations - includes training programs for city staff, and internal auditing to address potential stormwater impacts.

MS4 Program Plan & Annual Reports 

The MS4 Program Plan and annual reports describe the programmatic best management practices (BMPs) and programs that the City has developed and implemented to meet each of the six minimum control measures required by State regulations. The Permit must be renewed every five years. Following are the City's registration statements and reports. 

2008-2013 MS4 Program Plan, updated December 2008 - Details the City of Harrisonburg's comprehensive program to manage the quality of stormwater dischraged from the MS4. This Program Plan is submitted to the Department of Conservation & Recreation for review. The General Permit, effective July 9, 2008 through July 8, 2013, also requires that an annual report be submitted to DCR for review. 

[1.16 MB] 2008-2013 MS4 Program Plan. Revised September 30, 2009

[8.74 KB] MS4 Program Annual Report for July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009. Submitted to DCR on September 30, 2009.

Other Publications

[49.6 KB] “City of Harrisonburg, Stormwater Management Program” Brochure ([60.4 KB] Spanish version)

For more publications and resources on local water quality issues please visit www.cleanstream.org.