MS4

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)

We turn the faucet and it’s always there. Clean, safe, and abundant. Water, the essence of life. We use it every day, but we rarely think about the fact that it’s been through a complex journey and many changes before it gets to our home.

Pennsylvania’s source water comes from surface water like our rivers, lakes and streams or from groundwater, the aquifers that lie beneath the earth. The water that comes into our homes and faucets are treated by water suppliers before they reach us.  But what happens to the drinking water before it reaches us?  The route it travels, as well as what it touches along the way, can have a significant impact on the water quality of our streams, ponds and groundwater supplies.

• The Clean Water Act is federal legislation that oversees stormwater management.
• Each state is required to meet federal regulations to prevent our water resources from being polluted, specifically from human activities.
• In Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) oversees a number of Clean Water programs, which includes creating guidelines on how stormwater (rain water) is allowed to enter our rivers, lakes and streams.

As you drive down your local street there may be storm inlets, pipes and swales that collect the rainwater.  This runoff does not get sent to a treatment plant, it gets diverted directly to local rivers and streams. You may also see a vegetated area where rainwater collects before it gets diverted. These are all part of the community’s stormwater management program. Trappe Borough is required by State and Federal laws to review land uses and land development to protect our water resources from harm. This is achieved by providing homeowners, businesses and developers with guidelines.

As part of the requirements of the MS4 (Municipal Separate Stormwater System) Regulations and Requirements, we ask that citizens remain vigilant for any discharges to the stormwater system that might be illicit, dangerous, or undesirable. Please alert us to any suspected source of non-stormwater observed being discharged into the ground, our physical piped systems, or directly into any stream, river, or pond.

Click on the link below to report the following types of discharges into streams, rivers, and storm sewers, with the subject line (MS4 CONCERN):

1. Sewage or other flows from sewer pipes or malfunctioning on lot septic systems
2. Soapy discharge from commercial car washes, fleet washing in parking areas, commercial or residential laundry wastewater
3. Liquid waste such as oil, gas, grease, paint, or chemical waste
4. Any dumping of bulk dry powders such as fertilizer, concrete, or other chemical hazards
5. Spills of any of the above materials
6. Grass, leaf, or yard waste dumping into storm inlets or waterbodies

Report Illicit Discharge Button linked to info@trappeborough.com