Freqently Asked Questions

The Travis County Storm Water Management Program (SWMP) is a comprehensive long-range plan of on-going activities performed by the County to prevent and reduce storm water pollution to our streams and lakes. The SWMP is mandated by the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) State regulations for Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Operators under the Federal Clean Water Act. Travis County applied for, and was issued, a Permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to perform the SWMP activities in the Travis County MS4 area.

The County MS4 applies to unincorporated areas in Travis County outside all municipal city limits. However, certain municipalities such as the City of Austin also perform storm water programs in their Extra-Territorial Jurisdictions (ETJs), which overlap with the County MS4 in the unincorporated areas.

(Top of Page)

The SWMP includes seven primary program areas, called Minimum Control Measures (MCMs), which include: Public Education, Public Participation, Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (pollution discharge control), Construction Site Runoff Controls, Post-Construction Storm Water Management, Pollution Prevention for County Operations, and Authorization of County Construction Activities. Each MCM area consists of multiple specific Best Management Practices (BMPs) activities and tasks to be performed.

(Top of Page)

The SWMP has a 5-year scheduled plan of BMP activities required to be performed by designated County departments between August 13, 2007 and August 12, 2012. At the conclusion of the first SWMP 5-year Permit Term, a new five-year SWMP plan will be implemented, repeating every five years. The second 5-year Permit Term will run from August 13, 2012 to August 12, 2017.

(Top of Page)

Travis County’s Department of Transportation and Natural Resources (TNR) performs the majority of the SWMP activities through the Natural Resources and Environmental Quality (NREQ) Division and core SWMP Section. The Development Services Permit Program Division, Road and Fleet Maintenance Division, and the Public Works/Capital Improvements Project (CIP) Division also have a large role in these activities.

Other key County SWMP activities are performed by the Travis County Attorney’s Office Environmental Crimes Unit, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office Environmental Crimes Unit, the Texas AgriLife Extension Office in Travis County, the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, the Environmental and Consumer Health Unit, and the Department of Emergency Services.

(Top of Page)

Existing major water quality programs in Travis County include the City of Austin Extra-territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) Highland Lakes Ordinance Zone, the TCEQ Programs for Industrial Activities, and the Edwards Aquifer Zone. The County SWMP plan was selected with the idea of meeting Travis County’s water quality obligations, complimenting water quality programs already existing in the County where applicable, and expanding activities in areas lacking coverage. A primary long-range goal of this program is to ensure SWMP water quality activities are performed in all unincorporated areas County-wide, either by Travis County, or by another local municipality or district.

(Top of Page)