Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Keep our local waterways clean by reducing your use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers!

Excess pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers which have been applied to lawns and gardens may be washed off and carried to our local streams, creeks and other waterways in stormwater runoff. Pesticides and Herbicides are poisonous and can often kill desirable plants and insects along with the targeted pests. Fertilizers can cause an explosion of unwanted plant and algae growth that is often followed by a large die-off of vegetation. This vegetation then decomposes and can use up the oxygen in the water and cause fish kills. If you chose to use pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers always use them sparingly and always in accordance with manufacturer's directions.

• Before using pesticides and herbicides be sure to correctly identify the problem. Select a "pest-specific" product to minimize harm to beneficial plants and insects.
• Apply only to the problem areas. Don't waste your time and money or risk polluting stormwater runoff by placing chemicals where and when they aren't needed.
• Overuse of pesticides and herbicides can result in pest resistance. While these chemicals can provide effective treatment for serious pest problems, they should not be used routinely or indiscriminately.
• Most lawns can get the nutrients they need from grass clippings that result from lawn mowing therefore fertilize grass no more than once or twice a year.
• Remove fertilizer from impervious surfaces such as walkways, driveways and streets.
• Consider landscaping with native plants which can be drought and pest resistant. Use slow-release fertilizers or less toxic alternatives.
• Composting and Mulching can improve your soil and help make your yard and gardens healthy.

Never apply fertilizer before, during or directly after a rain storm!

Chemicals found in your home, garage and storage sheds can find their way into our local waterways. These chemicals can have negative impacts on streambank vegetation, water quality and local wildlife. Remember to properly use, store and dispose of chemicals can help us maintain healthy local ecosystems.

• Always read the manufacturer's label before buying, using, storing or disposing of any chemical.
• Store chemicals indoors or in covered areas where rainwater or flood waters will not reach. Always store chemicals in the original containers and keep in well-ventilated areas.
• If a spill occurs, clean it up quickly. Use sawdust, sand or kitty litter and sweep into a trash bag and throw it away.
• Most water treatment systems cannot remove pesticides so never pour down sinks, toilets or down sewer or storm drain pipes.
• Rinse empty containers three times - use the rinse water, don't pour down the drains! - then dispose of container in the trash.
• Don't stockpile chemicals! If chemicals are outdated or unusable, take them to a City Household Hazardous Waste Event or the Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center.

Home automotive maintenance can be a source of many pollutants in our creeks, streams and lakes. Oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, gasoline, diesel and other fluids often leak from cars onto parking areas like driveways and streets or are spilled during routine maintenance. Normal automobile use also creates copper and other heavy metal dust, which settles onto surfaces wherever vehicle exhaust exists. Stormwater runoff carries both metal dust and toxic fluids to these local waterways, where they can eventually become concentrated enough to disrupt aquatic ecosystems.

When repairing or maintaining vehicles at home follow these simple steps:

• Use a funnel and a drip pan when changing motor oil and all other automotive fluids
• Drain used oil filters into your oil pan for several hours before recycling the filters and oil
• If your vehicle leaks any fluid, put a towel or absorbent pad under it when parked
• Fix vehicle leaks immediately!
• Never hose off the driveway or street with water to "clean" a spill or leak
• Use commercial products designed to absorb automotive fluids or use old towels, kitty litter, sawdust or sand
• Sweep up used absorbent materials immediately and throw them in the trash
• Used motor oil from cars, trucks, boats, jet skis, motorcycles, farm equipment, and lawnmowers can be recycled and re-refined. Time to Recycle and Earth911 are resources for North Central Texas recycling options for residential, commercial and industrial customers.
• Save used oil, oil filters and other used automotive fluids and dispose of them at the next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day event or bring them to the Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center
• All major vehicle maintenance and repair should be performed at a licensed and environmentally responsible auto repair facility.
• Remember, Oil and Water Don't Mix!

It is against the stormwater pollution ordinance(PDF, 10MB) to dump any automotive fluid into the storm drain system or any waterway!

Illegally dumped trash and debris can get washed into the streets, storm drains, and/or local waterways, which can cause problems such as localized flooding, stream bank erosion, stormwater pollution, and can significantly increase infrastructure maintenance costs to the City of Arlington.

Hazards and Risks: Debris such as tree limbs, branches, large appliances, and construction materials illegally dumped into streams, creeks, rivers, and adjacent areas can create blockages in our storm drain system. This can increase the risk of flooding and create stagnant water areas, which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These areas also attract rodents and other pests that can make these areas unsafe for human use.

Environmental Damage: Illegally dumped material can damage vegetation, increasing stream bank erosion and causing sedimentation in our creeks. Hazardous materials can contaminate the soil, groundwater, and surface water. These sites can impact local wildlife and plants, thus damaging our ecosystems and natural resources.

Decreasing Property and Community Value: Illegal dump sites serve as a magnet for additional dumping and other criminal activities. These areas become unattractive to the local community and can decrease commercial and residential property values.

Rising Costs: Illegally dumped waste in our storm drainage system and waterways significantly adds infrastructure maintenance costs to the City of Arlington. Contaminated water resources increase costs for the treatment of our drinking water.

Some of the most common materials illegally dumped into our storm drains and waterways are:

• Construction and Demolition debris (drywall, shingles, lumber, bricks, concrete, siding)
• Large appliances
• Abandoned vehicles
• Automobile parts and tires
• Old, used, or soiled furniture
• Leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs, and branches
• Household garbage
• Medical waste
• Household hazardous waste products such as cleaners, paints, cooking oil, motor oil, and other automotive fluids

The community's help is essential to catching and deterring illegal dumping. If you observe someone illegally dumping into the storm drain system, creek, stream, or lake, contact the City of Arlington by calling 817-459-6777 or report it online using the link below.

Report Illegal Dumping

Remember to provide the following information:

• Date, time, and location of the incident
• Description of the vehicle and license plate number
• Description of the person(s) dumping material
• What items/materials were being dumped

Outdoor vehicle washing has the potential to result in high loads of nutrients, dirt, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons entering our local waterways. Detergent-rich water used to wash dirt, oil and other pollutants off cars flows down driveways and streets into the City's storm drain system. This water then enters the local streams, creeks and lake where it can impair the local water quality, recreational areas, harms wildlife and can increase the cost of treating our drinking water.

If you wash your car or other motorized vehicle at home, follow these steps to prevent pollution from entering our local waterways:

• Use low phosphate or phosphate free detergents. Detergents in streams can kill fish and their eggs, as well as inhibit their ability to reproduce. They can also destroy the natural protections fish have against bacteria and parasites and can severely damage a fish's gills. The phosphates from soap can also cause excess algae to grow in our waterways. Excessive algae growth makes water cloudy, green, unattractive, smelly, and unhealthy for swimming, boating, fishing, or drinking.
• Wash vehicles on gravel, grass, or other permeable surfaces. Avoid washing on concrete or asphalt unless it drains into a vegetated area. Vegetated areas allow runoff water to be filtered which removes most pollutants before it enters our waterways.
• Use a trigger nozzle on your hose and a bucket to conserve water.
• Always empty wash buckets into sinks or toilets, never into the street or storm drain.
• Use a commercial car wash facility where wash water is treated and cleaned before it is returned to the environment.

Swimming pool and Spa water can contain chlorine, bromine, algaecides, biocides, water conditioners, stabilizers and other chemicals which are toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Diatomaceous earth (DE), cellulose fiber, and sand particles from backwash water can fill in spaces in the gravel of a stream bed, preventing oxygen from reaching fish eggs and young fish. DE and cellulose fiber can also clog fish gills. Large quantities of these chemicals can cause fish kills, destabilize fish populations which can affect the local wildlife food chain. These chemicals can also lead to higher water treatment costs for drinking water.

There are three options for draining your swimming pool or spa water however before draining your pool or spa you must de-chlorinate the water.

• Allow the water to sit in the sun for 5 to 10 days without adding any chlorine or other chemicals
• Use a chemical de-chlorination additive: Contact your local pool store for options
• Use a simple chlorine test kit to verify water is de-chlorinated.

Drain pool water to your yard or landscape areas:

• This allows the water to soak into your grassy areas and filter out any residual pollutants.
• Don't cause flooding of your neighbor's property or any other adjacent property.
• The land area is sufficient to prevent yard erosion and sediment runoff into a ditch, creek, or storm drain system.

Drain pool water to the sanitary sewer system:

• Locate the sanitary sewer cleanout on your property or an indoor drain such as a sink or bathtub.
• Using a hose, connect a siphon or sump pump that pumps no more than 50 gallons per minute.
• Pump the water from the pool or spa to the cleanout or indoor drain.
• Replace all cleanout covers when finished.

Swimming pool water may be discharged to the storm drain when the following conditions are met:

• The pool or spa is completely de-chlorinated.
• The pH of the water is between 6.5 and 9.
• There is no discharge of acid cleaning wastes, filter media or other pool chemicals.
• Discharge water will not pond in the street or flow to neighboring properties.
• Drainage hoses must stay on your property and drain directly to the street.

Probably the greatest health concern associated with animal wastes is pathogens. Many pathogens found in animal waste can infect humans if ingested. Organisms such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia, and Salmonella can induce symptoms ranging from skin sores to chest pain. E. coli, which causes diarrhea and abdominal gas, has been the source of disease outbreaks in several States. Particularly virulent strains of E. coli can cause serious illness and fatalities. Cryptosporidium is of particular concern because it is highly resistant to disinfection with chlorine. This protozoan causes gastrointestinal illness lasting two to ten days in healthy individuals but can be fatal in people with weakened immune systems.

Dog and cat droppings often contain roundworms and other parasitic nematodes. A Toxocariasis infection by just a few roundworms usually causes no problems, but more severe infections may cause fevers, bronchitis, asthma, or vision problems. Cat feces may contain Toxoplasmosis, a parasite that infects humans and other animals. Cats are the only animals known to excrete Toxoplasmosis oocysts, which are resistant to most disinfectants. Toxoplasmosis is a serious health concern for pregnant women and immuno-compromised individuals.

Pet waste also contains nutrients that encourage weed and algae growth-making the water unattractive for swimming, boating and fishing. When pet waste is washed into these water bodies, the waste decays using up oxygen and sometimes releasing ammonia. Low oxygen levels and ammonia combined with warm temperatures can kill fish.

• Always keep areas where children play free of pet wastes.
• When walking your pet, take a plastic bag and pick up the waste. You can dispose of it in the trash or flush it down the toilet.
• Pick up pet waste in your yard. Pet wastes are not recommended for back yard compost piles or on landscapes and gardens. While animal manures can make useful fertilizer, parasites carried in dog and cat feces can cause diseases in humans and should not be incorporated into compost piles. Dogs and cats should be kept away from gardens as well.
• Remember to wash your hands with soap and warm water after playing outside, working in your lawn or garden and after removing pet waste from litter boxes or your yard.

Why should you pledge?

• Besides being messy-and super-gross when it ends up on the bottom of your shoe-dog waste is a health risk. Pets, kids playing outside, and adults who garden are most at risk for infection from the bacteria and parasites found in dog waste.
• Dog waste affects our water quality, harboring bacteria such as salmonella, giardia, and E. coli. One gram of dog waste can contain 23million fecal coliform bacteria. When dog owners don't pick up after their pets, rain or sprinkler runoff can wash the waste into storm drains, where the water runs directly into creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes without being treated or cleaned. (Studies in the Seattle area showed that nearly 20% of bacteria in water samples matched with dogs as the host animals.) And when the waste decays in water, it uses up dissolved oxygen and releases nutrients that causes algae growth, harming fish and other aquatic life.
• An estimated 1.5 million dogs live in the North Central Texas region, producing more than 500 tons of waste each day. While one pile of dog poop may not seem like a big deal, many piles can add up to a substantial problem. It's up to the entire region to be part of the solution-and your personal commitment makes a huge difference.

So, take this opportunity to pledge to Doo the Right Thing and pick up your dog's waste. Properly dispose of the waste by flushing it, burying it (making sure you're not by a water source or vegetable garden), or tossing the bagged waste in a trash can.

Visit NCTCOG Pet Waste to learn more about the impacts of dog waste, take the pledge, and submit your dog's photo. People who have pledged in prior years are welcome to take the pledge again.

Shall mean any storm water runoff from orchards, cultivated crops, pastures, range lands, and other nonpoint source agricultural activities, but not discharges from concentrated animal feeding operations as defined in 40 CFR Section 122.23 or discharges from concentrated aquatic animal production facilities as defined in 40 CFR Section 122.24.

Shall mean schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of waters of the United States. BMPs also include treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.

Shall mean a major subdivision of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Arlington.

Shall mean the City of Arlington, Texas, or the City Council of Arlington.

Shall mean the rainfall runoff from or through any coal storage pile.

Shall mean the initial disturbance of soils associated with clearing, grading, excavating, landfilling, and other construction activities.

Shall mean pertaining to any business, trade, industry, or other activity engaged in for profit.

Shall mean a contiguous area where multiple separate and distinct construction activities may be taking place at different times on different schedules under one plan.

Shall mean any human activity that involves clearing, grading, excavation, landfilling, or other placement, movement, removal, or disposal of soil, rock, or other earth materials.

Shall mean containing a harmful quantity of any substance.

Shall mean the Director of Environmental Services for the City of Arlington, or his/her duly authorized representative, except in the case of public works construction projects that are administered, performed, contracted, or funded (in whole or in part) by the City. In the case of such City public works projects, the term "Director" shall mean the Director of the City Department that is administering, performing, or contracting for the construction project, or his/her duly authorized representative. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean any addition or introduction of any pollutant, storm water, or any other substance whatsoever into the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or into waters of the United States.

Shall mean any person who causes, allows, permits, or is otherwise responsible for, a discharge, including, without limitation, any operator of a construction site or industrial facility.

Shall mean human excrement, gray water (from home clothes washing, bathing, showers, dishwashing, and food preparation), other wastewater from household drains, and waterborne waste normally discharged from the sanitary conveniences of dwellings (including apartment houses and hotels), office buildings, factories, and institutions, that is free from industrial waste.

Shall mean the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the regional office thereof, any federal department, agency, or commission that may succeed to the authority of the EPA, and any duly authorized official of EPA or such successor agency.

Shall mean any building, structure, installation, process, or activity from which there is or may be a discharge of a pollutant.

Shall mean a solid or non-solid substance or compound that contains an essential plant nutrient element in a form available to plants and is used primarily for its essential plant nutrient element content in promoting or stimulating growth of a plant or improving the quality of a crop, or a mixture of two or more fertilizers. The term does not include the excreta of an animal, plant remains, or a mixture of those substances, for which no claim of essential plant nutrients is made.

Shall mean the status when all soil disturbing activities at a site have been completed, and a uniform perennial vegetative cover with a density of 70% of the cover for unpaved areas and areas not covered by permanent structures have been established, or equivalent permanent stabilization measures (such as the use of riprap, gabions, or geotextiles) have been employed. (Note: The pervious area shall be uniformly vegetated such that randomly chosen areas, as would be enclosed by a hula hoop, each have a vegetation density at least 70%.)

Shall mean the Fire Department of the City of Arlington, or any duly authorized representative thereof.

Shall mean any water, and any substances or materials contained therein, used by any person other than the Fire Department to control or extinguish a fire.

Shall mean putrescible animal and vegetable waste materials from the handling, preparation, cooking, or consumption of food, including waste materials from markets, storage facilities, and the handling and sale of produce and other food products.

Shall mean the amount of any substance that will cause pollution of water in the State.

Shall mean any substance or materials determined to be hazardous by the Secretary of Transportation according to 49 CFR Part 171.8.

Shall mean any substance listed in Table 302.4 of 40 CFR Part 302.

Shall mean any substance identified or listed as a hazardous waste by the EPA pursuant to 40 CFR Part 261.

Shall mean all contiguous land, and structures, other appurtenances and improvements on the land, used for the treatment, disposal, or recovery of hazardous waste.

Shall mean a substance or mixture of substances used to destroy a plant or to inhibit plant growth.

Shall mean any material generated in a household (including single and multiple residences, hotels and motels, bunk houses, ranger stations, crew quarters, camp grounds, picnic grounds, and day use recreational areas) by a consumer which, except for the exclusion provided in 40 CFR § 261.4(b)(1), would be classified as a hazardous waste under 40 CFR Part 261.

Shall mean any byproduct that results from any process of industry, manufacturing, mining, production, trade, business, or facility identified as engaging in an industrial activity under 40 CFR Part 122.26.

Shall mean the deposition of soil and other inert materials on the land to raise its grade and/or smooth its features.

Shall mean a person who has been duly licensed (and registered if practicing as an individual) by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers to engage in the practice of engineering in the State of Texas.

Shall mean any vehicle crankcase oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid, differential lubricant, gasoline, diesel fuel, gasoline/alcohol blend, and any other fluid used in a motor vehicle.

Shall mean an area of land or an excavation in which municipal solid waste is placed for permanent disposal, and which is not a land treatment facility, a surface impoundment, an injection well, or a pile (as these terms are defined in regulations promulgated by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission).

Shall mean the day to day operation and maintenance activities that have the potential for contributing pollutant runoff to the MS4.

Shall mean the system of conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains) owned and operated by the City and designed or used for collecting or conveying storm water.

Shall mean solid waste resulting from or incidental to municipal, community, commercial, institutional, or recreational activities, and includes garbage, rubbish, ashes, street cleanings, dead animals, abandoned automobiles, and other solid waste other than industrial waste.

Shall mean the Baseline Industrial General Permit issued by EPA on August 27, 1992, and published in Volume 57 of the Federal Register at page 41304 on September 9, 1992, and any subsequent modifications or amendments thereto.

Shall mean the Construction General Permit issued by EPA on June 24, 1998, and published in Volume 63 of the Federal Register at page 36485 on July 6, 1998, and any subsequent modifications or amendments thereto.

Shall mean a permit issued by EPA (or by the State under authority delegated pursuant to 33 USC § 1342(b)) that authorizes the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States, whether the permit is applicable on an individual, group, or general area-wide basis.

Shall mean General Permit No. TXG110000 published by EPA in Volume 65 of the Federal Register at page 2165 on Jan. 13, 2000, and any subsequent modifications or amendments thereto, that has been assumed and is now administered by the TCEQ. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean that all industrial materials and activities are protected by a storm resistant shelter to prevent exposure to rain, snow, snowmelt, run-on and/or runoff. Industrial materials or activities include, but are not limited to, material handling equipment or activities, industrial machinery, raw materials, intermediate products, by-products, final products not intended to be used outdoors, or waste products. Material handling activities include the storage, loading and unloading, transportation, or conveyance of any raw material, intermediate product, final product or waste product.

Shall mean receipt of an NPDES Form 3510-11 or an equivalent form issued by TCEQ related to the TPDES General Permit. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean that all industrial facilities that meet the criteria listed in 40 CFR 122.26(b)(14) (except construction) may be excluded from industrial storm water discharge permitting requirements on a conditional basis if certification that a condition of “no exposure” can be made for the facility.

Shall mean any source of any discharge of a pollutant that is not a “point source.”

Shall mean the notice of change that is required by the TPDES General Permit related to storm water discharges associated with industrial activity.

Shall mean the Notice of Intent that is required by the Construction General Permit, the Multi-Sector General Permit, or other General Permit for the discharge of storm water.

Shall mean the Notice of Termination that is required by either the Construction General Permit, the TPDES General Permit for industrial activity, or other General Permit for the discharge of storm water.

Shall mean any kind of oil in any form, including, but not limited to, petroleum, fuel oil, crude oil or any fraction thereof which is liquid at standard conditions of temperature and pressure, sludge, oil refuse, and oil mixed with waste.

Shall mean the person or persons who, either individually or taken together, meet either of the following two criteria:

1. they have operational control over the facility specifications (including the ability to make modifications in specifications); or
2. they have the day-to-day operational control over those activities at the facility necessary to ensure compliance with pollution prevention requirements and any permit conditions.

Shall mean the person who owns a facility or part of a facility.

Shall mean any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company, corporation, association, joint stock company, trust, estate, governmental entity, or any other legal entity; or their legal representatives, agents, or assigns. This definition includes all federal, state, and local governmental entities.

Shall mean a substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate any pest, or any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant (as these terms are defined in Section 76.001 of the Texas Agriculture Code).

Shall mean a product that is obtained from distilling and processing crude oil and that is capable of being used as a fuel for the propulsion of a motor vehicle or aircraft, including motor gasoline, gasohol, other alcohol blended fuels, aviation gasoline, kerosene, distillate fuel oil, and # 1 and #2 diesel.

Shall mean any one or combination of aboveground or underground storage tanks that contain petroleum products and any connecting underground pipes.

Shall mean any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, landfill leachate collection system, vessel or other floating craft from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows from irrigated agriculture or agricultural storm water runoff.

Shall mean dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical waste, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. The term “pollutant” does not include tail water or runoff water from irrigation or rainwater runoff from cultivated or uncultivated rangeland, pastureland, and farmland.

Shall mean the alteration of the physical, thermal, chemical, or biological quality of, or the contamination of, any water in the state that renders the water harmful, detrimental, or injurious to humans, animal life, vegetation, or property, or to the public health, safety, or welfare, or impairs the usefulness or the public enjoyment of the water for any lawful or reasonable purpose.

Shall mean any construction performed or funded in whole or part by the City of Arlington.

Shall mean persons who possess the appropriate competence, skills, and ability (as demonstrated by sufficient education, training, experience, and/or, when applicable, any required certification or licensing) to perform a specific activity in a timely and complete manner consistent with the applicable regulatory requirements and generally-accepted industry standards for such activity.

Shall mean any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing, directly or indirectly, into the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or the waters of the United States.

Shall mean non-putrescible solid wastes that consist of

1. combustible waste materials, including paper, rags, cartons, wood, excelsior, furniture, rubber, plastics, yard trimmings, leaves, and similar materials; and
2. noncombustible waste materials, including glass, crockery, tin cans, aluminum cans, metal furniture, and similar materials that do not burn at ordinary incinerator temperatures (1600 to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit).

Shall mean the system of pipes, conduits, and other conveyances which carry industrial waste and domestic sewage from residential dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and institutions, whether treated or untreated, to the sewage treatment plant utilized by the City (and to which storm water, surface water, and groundwater are not intentionally admitted).

Shall mean any domestic sewage from holding tanks such as vessels, chemical toilets, campers, trailers, and septic tanks.

Shall mean any retail establishment engaged in the business of selling fuel for motor vehicles that is dispensed from stationary storage tanks.

Shall mean the domestic sewage and/or industrial waste that is discharged into the City sanitary sewer system and passes through the sanitary sewer system to the sewage treatment plant utilized by the City for treatment.

Shall mean the land or water area where any facility or activity is physically located or conducted, including adjacent land used in connection with the facility or activity.

Shall mean any garbage, rubbish, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, and other discarded material, including, solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, municipal, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community and institutional activities.

Shall mean the State of Texas.

Shall mean storm water runoff, snowmelt runoff, and surface runoff and drainage.

Shall mean the release of storm water runoff from any conveyance which is used for collecting and conveying storm water that drains from manufacturing, processing, maintenance, materials storage, or waste storage areas at a facility that meets the criteria listed in 40 CFR § 122.26(b)(14).

Shall mean a plan required by either the Construction General Permit, the Baseline Industrial General Permit, or the Multi-Sector General Permit and which describes and ensures the implementation of practices that are to be used to reduce the pollutants in storm water discharges associated with construction or other industrial activity at the facility.

Lakes, bays, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, wetlands, marshes, inlets, canals, the Gulf of Mexico inside the territorial limits of the state (from the mean high water mark (MHWM) out 10.36 miles into the Gulf), and all other bodies of surface water, natural or artificial, inland or coastal, fresh or salt, navigable or non-navigable, and including the beds and banks of all water-courses and bodies of surface water, that are wholly or partially inside or bordering the state or subject to the jurisdiction of the state; except that waters in treatment systems which are authorized by state or federal law, regulation, or permit, and which are created for the purpose of waste treatment are not considered to be water in the state. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean the State of Texas agency by that name, the regional offices thereof, any state department, agency, or commission that may succeed to the authority of the TCEQ, and any duly authorized official of TCEQ or such successor agency. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean General Permit No. TXG110000 published by the TCEQ and as authorized under provision of Section 402 of the Clean Water Act and Chapter 26 of the Texas Water Code and subsequent revisions. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean the Construction General Permit issued by TCEQ on March 5, 2003 as authorized under provision of Section 402 of the Clean Water Act and Chapter 26 of the Texas Water Code and subsequent revisions. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean TPDES General Permit No. TXR050000 issued by the TCEQ in 2001 as authorized under provisions of Section 402 of the Clean Water Act and Chapter 26 of the Texas Water Code and subsequent revisions. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean a permit issued by the TCEQ that authorizes the discharge of pollutants to waters of the State, whether the permit is applicable to an individual, group, or general area-wide basis. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean not containing a harmful quantity of any substance.

Shall mean any oil that has been refined from crude oil or a synthetic oil that, as a result of use, storage, or handling, has become unsuitable for its original purpose because of impurities or the loss of original properties but that may be suitable for further use and is recyclable in compliance with state and federal law.

Shall mean any water or other liquid, other than uncontaminated storm water, discharged from a facility.

Shall mean the designation of a body or segment of surface water in the state for desirable uses and the narrative and numerical criteria deemed by the state to be necessary to protect those uses, as specified in Chapter 307 of Title 31 of the Texas Administrative Code.

(from title 40, part122, section 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations)

1. all waters which are currently used, were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce, including all waters which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide;
2. all interstate waters, including interstate wetlands;
3. all other waters such as intrastate lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, or natural ponds that the use, degradation, or destruction of which would affect or could affect interstate or foreign commerce including any such waters:
   
   1. which are or could be used by interstate or foreign travelers for recreational or other purposes;
   2. from which fish or shellfish are or could be taken and sold in interstate or foreign commerce; or
   3. which are used or could be used for industrial purposes by industries in interstate commerce;
4. all impoundments of waters otherwise defined as waters of the United States under this definition;
5. tributaries of waters identified in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this definition;
6. the territorial sea; and
7. wetlands adjacent to waters (other than waters that are themselves wetlands) identified in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this definition.

Note: Waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to meet the requirements of CWA (other than cooling ponds as defined in 40 CFR 423.11(m) which also meet the criteria of this definition) are not waters of the United States. This exclusion applies only to manmade bodies of water which neither were originally created in waters of the United States (such as disposal area in wetlands) nor resulted from the impoundment of waters of the United States. [See Note 1 of this section.] Waters of the United States do not include prior converted cropland. Notwithstanding the determination of an area's status as prior converted cropland by any other federal agency, for the purposes of the Clean Water Act, the final authority regarding Clean Water Act jurisdiction remains with EPA. (Amend Ord 07-004, 2/13/07)

Shall mean an area that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances does support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.

Shall mean leaves, grass clippings, yard and garden debris, and brush that results from landscaping maintenance and land-clearing operations. (Amend Ord 01-089, 8/14/01)