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Definitions
Below are some definitions of terms used in discussing Storm Water Pollution.
BMP
Best Management Practice: Activities or structural improvements that help reduce the quantity and improve
the quality of storm water runoff.
Clean Water Act (Water Quality Act)
Legislation which provides statutory authority for the MPDES program (also known as the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act).
Conveyance
The process of water moving from one place to another.
Discharge
The volume of water (and any sediment) that passes a given location within a given period of time.
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency.
Erosion
When land is diminished or worn away due to wind, water, or glacial ice. Often the eroded debris (silt or
sediment) becomes a pollutant via storm water runoff.
Illicit Connection
Any discharge to a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System that is not composed entirely of storm water and is not
authorized by a separate NPDES permit or included in an approved Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (for instance,
a business connecting illegally into the city's storm sewer system).
Joint Powers Agreement Water Management Organization
A joint powers agreement water management organization has the general authorities specified in Minnesota
Statutes Sections 103B.211 through 255 and specific authorities agreed to through a joint powers agreement between
the municipalities and townships within the watershed area (for instance, the Lower St. Croix Water Management
Organization, of which Cottage Grove is a part).
MCM
Minimum Control Measure: Key areas to be addressed by units or agencies wishing to discharge storm water in their
storm water management plans.
MPCA
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
MS4
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System: A publicly-owned conveyance or system of conveyances that discharges to waters
of the U.S. or waters of the Stat, and is designed or used for collecting or conveying storm water.
NPDES
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System: Name of the surface water quality program authorized by Congress as
part of the 1987 Clean Water Act. NPDES is the EPA's program to control the discharge of pollutants to waters of
the U.S.; In Minnesota, the MPCA is the permitting authority and also controls the discharge of pollutants to the
waters of the State.
Outfall
The point where storm water discharges from a sewer pipe, ditch, or other conveyance to a receiving body of water.
Runoff
Water that becomes polluted when it picks up things like grass clippings, leaves, pesticides, motor oil, and pet
waste, and flushes them into storm drains and eventually into bodies of water, such as the Mississippi River.
SWPPP
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan: A plan or program to describe how an MS4 evaluates potential pollutant
sources and selects and implements appropriate measures designed to prevent or control the discharge of pollutants
in storm water runoff.
Watershed
A watershed, or drainage basin, is the area of land from which rain and snowmelt flow and eventually enter a
lake, river, or wetland. Even if your home is not next to a lake, river, or wetland, you still live in a
watershed. For more information about watersheds and those in Minnesota, visit the
Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts website.
Watershed District
Watershed districts are special purpose local units of government (established under Minnesota Statutes
Chapter 103D) that work to solve and prevent water-related problems. The boundaries of the districts follow
those of a natural watershed, and the districts are usually named after that watershed. Because water does not
follow political boundaries, it makes sense to manage natural resources on a watershed basis. This type of
management allows for an overall, holistic approach to resource conservation. An example is the
South Washington Watershed District, of which the City of Cottage Grove is a part.
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City Gov't