***BTSC News*** 

• The Broome County Department of Planning and Economic Development is sponsoring a Community Rating System Workshop on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010, 9:30 am - 11:30 am at the Broome County Public Library, featuring Tom Brett, CFM - ISO/CRS Specialist under the direction of FEMA. The CRS is a voluntary program that assesses a community's ability to mitigate flood damage. Residents in participating communities receive reduced rates on their flood insurance, typically ranging from 5% to 10%. See the Events  page for more information.

• The Broome-Tioga Stormwater Coalition will be holding a public meeting regarding their 2009-2010 Annual Report on Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 from 3-4pm at Union Town Hall. See the Annual Reports and the Events pages for more information.
   
• The Tioga County Water Quality Coordinating Committee will be holding their 10th annual stream cleanup May 15th through the 23rd. See the Events page for more information.

What is stormwater?
Stormwater is rain and snow melt that runs off surfaces such as rooftops, paved streets, highways, and parking lots. Stormwater carries sediment, oil, grease, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants into storm drains and then, untreated, into nearby waterbodies. Because most stormwater drainage systems provide no treatment, preventing contamination of stormwater is crucial to ensure that pollutants do not enter waterways. Improperly managed stormwater runoff is also a leading cause of flooding, which can lead to property damage, cause road safety hazards, and clog catch basins and culverts with sediment and debris.

According to the federal law commonly known as Stormwater Phase II, permits are required for stormwater discharges from Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) in urbanized areas and for all construction activities (both inside and outside of MS4 areas) that disturb one or more acres. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has developed two general permits as part of the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) to implement this law in NYS.

Please use this website to learn more about stormwater and the Stormwater Phase II Program.

About Us

There are 15 designated MS4s located in the Counties of Broome and Tioga that must prepare and implement a stormwater management program to comply with state and federal stormwater regulations. These municipalities recognize that watersheds and separate sewer systems cross municipal boundaries and that collaborative efforts addressing local stormwater issues saves time, money and energy. As a result, the MS4s entered into an agreement to form the Broome-Tioga Stormwater Coalition and work together to address local stormwater issues and meet the state and federal stormwater requirements.

The members and partners of the Broome-Tioga Stormwater Coalition are:

Members

Broome County

• Binghamton (C)
• Binghamton (T)
• Chenango (T)
• Conklin (T)
• Dickinson (T)
• Endicott (V)
• Fenton (T)
• Johnson City (V)
• Kirkwood (T)
• Port Dickinson (V)
• Union (T)
• Vestal (T)

Tioga County

• Owego (T)

Partners

Broome County Soil & Water Conservation District
New York State Department of Transportation
Tioga County Soil & Water Conservation District