Stormwater Discharge Permit

The City of Fitchburg is a member of the Madison Area Municipal Storm Water Partnership (19 central Dane County municipalities, Dane County and UW–Madison), which submitted a stormwater discharge permit application to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Rather than applying for the permit individually, these municipal entities joined forces to save time, money, and resources. Their website has a plethora of information on how citizens’ daily activities can have a positive impact on Dane County’s water resources.


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State Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Permit

The WDNR has issued a stormwater discharge permit, dated July 1, 2019, to 17 central Dane County communities, Dane County and UW-Madison, including the City of Fitchburg. The goal of the municipal stormwater discharge program is to reduce adverse impacts to water quality in our lakes and streams from urban sources of stormwater runoff.


Stormwater Management Program

The permit requires that the city have a stormwater management program in place that includes the following:

  • Public Education and Outreach
  • Public Involvement and Participation
  • Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
  • Construction Site Pollution Control
  • Post-Construction Site Storm Water Management
  • Municipal Pollution Prevention

Stormwater Quality Reports

As part of the permit, Fitchburg now provides reports on activities that impact stormwater quality within the urbanized portion of the city. Past reports include:

 

MS4 Program Plan
Starting in 2021, MS4 permittees are required to have a written MS4 Program Plan which how the permittee is meeting MS4 requirements. The City's MS4 Program Plan can be found below:

Annual Public Education and Outreach Plan
Starting in 2021, MS4 permittees are required to prepare an annual plan that discusses how the permittee intends to meet the public education and outreach requirements of the permit. This Plan is due by March 31 each year. The City's plan(s) can be found below:

If you observe activities in the City of Fitchburg that will adversely affect water quality, please contact the Public Works Department (publicworks@fitchburgwi.gov) at 608-270-4260.