Interlocal Agreements
One of the benefits of the new NPDES Phase II Permit process is the ability to work cooperatively with other governments that are under the Permit as well.  Asotin County has signed interlocal agreements with the City of Clarkston and the City of Asotin in order to share the responsibilities and costs associated with developing stormwater plans and implementing the Permit requirements.  Asotin County and the Cities of Asotin and Clarkston all received money from the Department of Ecology as part of a grant program to help get the Phase II NPDES Stormwater programs off to a good start.  The three governments decided to pool their grant money together into one fund, and to set up a committee called the Phase II Stormwater Grants Program Committee that will decide how to best use the combined funds.  Asotin County has accepted the responsibility of being the lead agency in the committee.  The committee will consist of the Asotin County Director of Public Works/Engineer, the City of Asotin Engineer, and the City of Clarkston Director of Public Works. 

Current Work – NPDES Annual Reports
The end of Year 1 in the NPDES Permit came to a close December 2007, and the three governments completed their draft Stormwater Management Plans required by the permit and submitted the Year 1 Annual Reports to the Department of Ecology by March 31, 2008.  See the links below to view these documents.  The County and both Cities are currently using their grant money to evaluate their municipal practices in order to determine the areas of their programs that need enhancements to comply with the Permit.  This evaluation will be included in each government’s Stormwater Management Plan, which will be updated annually.

Asotin County Stormwater Management Plan and Annual Report
City of Asotin Stormwater Management Plan and Annual Report
City of Clarkston Stormwater Management Plan and Annual Report

Public Involvement Policy
The Cities and County adopted stormwater public involvement policies to help guide how citizens will be able to provide input into the process of developing and implementing our stormwater programs. Please watch for stormwater related advertisements, factsheets, workshops, open houses, public hearings, and study sessions as the program development process continues.

Mapping Efforts
The Cities and County are each in the process of mapping their storm drain systems.  This mapping involves locating all storm drain inlets (street gutters) and outfalls (where the stormwater exits into the river or stream), and all the pipes and ditches that carry the stormwater in between.  The purpose of having a government’s storm drain system mapped is to help stormwater managers know where drainage is coming from and to help them  to trace sources of illicit discharges or dumping into storm drains.

Future Work
During Year 2 (January thru December 2008), your elected officials will be working to create and adopt an ordinance that prohibits illicit discharges into the storm drain system.  Illicit discharges are defined as “any discharge into the storm drain that is not composed entirely of stormwater.”  There are exceptions to this rule, and the exceptions will be clearly defined in the ordinance.  This piece of legislation is important to the health of the Snake River and Asotin Creek, as it will help to educate the public about what is acceptable to put down a storm drain, and what should be disposed of in other, more environmentally friendly, ways.  The Cities and County will also be developing ordinances to control stormwater pollution from development sites, both during and after construction.  The Cities and County will seek public input on all stormwater ordinances.  The Cities and County will also begin the process of assessing our municipal facilities and practices, such as our maintenance shops, to determine ways to reduce stormwater pollution.