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Stormwater Management

View of High Falls and downtown skyline

Stormwater runoff from impervious and developed surfaces has the potential to convey various pollutants to the waters of the United States. Among these pollutants are nutrients (particularly phosphorus and nitrogen), silt and sediment, pathogens, oil/grease, metals, and floatables (debris and litter). Heavy metals, pathogens, Mirex, PCBs, and floatables (litter) are of particularly high concern to the water bodies in the City of Rochester.

Storm Drain

The SPDES General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), promulgated by NYSDEC in 2002, requires regulated MS4s to develop and fully implement a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) Plan.  The City of Rochester meets the threshold as a regulated MS4, and has submitted a Notice of Intent for continued coverage under the GP-0-24-001 MS4 Permit (MS4 Permit No. NYR20A513). 

The City of Rochester has developed its SWMP Plan to comply with the NYSDEC General Permit GP-0-24-001.  The SWMP Plan is re-assessed on an annual basis and updated as needed to improve its effectiveness, monitor progress, and account for any changes in the regulations and guidance provided by NYSDEC. The City’s SWMP is currently being revised to meet the requirements of the new MS4 Permit. 

Please check back later to view the City's Draft SWMP.

Rain on downtown sidewalk

The City is a member of the Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County (SCMC).  The SCMC was created because watersheds and separate storm sewer systems cross municipal boundaries.  Through the SCMC, municipalities take advantage of opportunities “...to reduce duplication of services, take advantage of economies of scale, better coordinate regulatory requirements and enforcement actions, secure state grants for regionally supported projects, improve water quality, and reduce flooding, by working collaboratively to identify and analyze options for meeting the requirements of the General Permit. 

It is the intended purpose of the SCMC to:

  • foster the exchange of information;
  • identify and promote discussion of issues of mutual concern;
  • foster cooperation;
  • propose recommendations and make reports which identify mutually beneficial solutions;
  • seek funding sources and/or sustainable funding mechanisms which may help to accomplish the goals of the SCMC;
  • provide a mechanism for coordinating the implementation of regional solutions by and on behalf of the participating MS4 communities in Monroe County. 

For additional information, contact Jane Forbes in the Division of Environmental Quality's Office of Environmental Compliance (OEC) at (585) 428-7892 or by email at Jane.Forbes@CityOfRochester.gov.