October 2004 City of Corpus Christi STORM WATER DEPARTMENT
Storm Waters mission is to operate a drainage system that provides (1) safe, dependable surface drainage in each neighborhood that can be maintained easily and at a reasonable cost; (2) to have a proactive planning process that will ensure that new development does not have a negative impact on existing neighborhoods; (3) to have a flood protection system that will protect the residents of our community; and (4) to improve the environment by improving the quality of storm water runoff by remaining in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency Regulations.
The Storm Water activity is composed of eight major functions: Pump Stations, Major Drainage, Minor Drainage, Flow Control, Mowing and Weed Control, Concrete Repair, Monitoring and Inspections/Enforcement and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Administration.
Pump Stations: The pump stations function is to pump water drainage from the downtown and residential areas of the City to the bays and to maintain and clean out all trash entering the trash racks. There are three pumping stations; two are located in the downtown area and one on the south side area near Oso Bay.
Major Drainage: The major drainage function is responsible for maintenance and grading of approximately 115 miles of major drainage ditches. Some of them include the Turkey Creek ditch, the Carroll ditch at St. Andrews Drive and the Airport ditch. In addition, major drainage is responsible for cleaning approximately 595 miles of storm drain pipe and maintaining twenty-three (23) storm drain gates along Shoreline.
Minor Drainage: The minor drainage function is responsible for cleaning and grading of approximately 668 miles of minor roadside drainage ditches. In addition, minor drainage sets and repairs storm drainpipe and repairs cave-in caused by broken or separated drainpipes and the cleaning of driveway culverts.
Flow Control: The flow control function is responsible for cleaning storm drain lines and inlet cleaning of approximately 18,320 inlets throughout the City.
Mowing: The mowing and weed control function is responsible for mowing over 2500 acres of roadside ditches and the right-of-way area of major ditches; assisting with slope mowing; and the application of herbicide to roadside ditches, major ditches, and guardrails.
Concrete Repair: The concrete repair function is responsible for the repair and/or construction of head walls, storm sewer inlets and manholes and rip rap sections. In addition, concrete repair performs minor repairs to 107 concrete and wooden bridges, installs and/or repairs bridge guard rails and hand railing, repair or replacement on 1846 miles of minor curb, gutter, and sidewalks. Concrete repair also raises and lowers water, gas, wastewater and storm water manholes and valve boxes for work projects.
Monitoring and Inspections/Enforcement: The monitoring and inspections/enforcement function is responsible for maintenance and operation of seven (7) monitoring stations throughout the City, collecting data and grab samples for NPDES programs, perform inspections/enforcement for NPDES programs, spill response; and confined space entry.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Administration: The Federal Clean Water Act of 1972 established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to control all discharges to the waters of the United States. The Federal Clean Water Act of 1972 was amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987, which established a phased approach for Storm Water discharge regulation in the U.S.
The City of Corpus Christi, along with its co-permittees, Port of Corpus Christi Authority; Corpus Christi Junior College District; Texas A & M University - Corpus Christi; Texas Department of Transportation - Corpus Christi was issued NPDES Permit No. TX2000601 to allow discharge of storm water from the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) to the waters of the United States in April 1995. The permit was effective for five years from June 1, 1995 - May 31, 2000. The City of Corpus Christi and its co-permittees submitted an application for renewal of the NPDES MS4 Permit on November 30, 1999.
The permit outlines several storm water quality management program components which include a Wet Weather Screening Program, a Dry Weather Screening Program, a Floatable Monitoring Program, an Industrial and High Risk Monitoring Program, an Illicit and Improper Disposal Inspection Program, Storm Water Management Guidance Document development, a Site Operator and City Inspector Training Program, and a Construction Inspection Program.
