Strategic Objective: Infrastructure
Key Results: Stormwater Assets Condition
Stormwater Control Measures
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Why are we collecting this data?
While growth and development may bring benefits such as resources, amenities, and opportunities to communities, they also pose challenges to stormwater drainage systems. These projects replace natural landscapes with impervious man-made structures like driveways, parking lots, and buildings, which contribute to stormwater runoff. The runoff can transport pollutants such as trash, fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment into nearby streams and rivers. Permanent Control Measures (PCMs) are designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants downstream and improve water quality. As of calendar year 2023, El Paso County owns/operates 30 Permanent Stormwater Control Measures (PCMs).
El Paso County Department of Public Works Stormwater Inspectors conduct annual condition assessments of PCMs. PCM conditions are classified into different categories, including No Deficiencies Identified, Monitor, Fair, and Minor or Major Maintenance Required. The overall condition values are reported as the percentage of PCMs with a condition rating of Fair or better.
There are several PCM types, but the most found in El Paso County include Extended Detention Basins, Retention Basins, Porous Landscape Detention, and Sand Filter Basins.
Maintaining compliance with the County’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permit is crucial from both an environmental and financial perspective. Municipalities and counties across the country who have failed to comply with their MS4 permit requirements have faced significant litigation and fines totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. It is imperative that we keep a consistent budget for maintaining key structures, such as PCMs, to prevent the same fate.
What data is being examined, and what metric is being calculated?
MS4s refer to the storm sewers, gutters, storm drain inlets, and other related structures owned by local governments that collect and discharge stormwater to nearby waterbodies. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) Water Quality Division is responsible for regulating pollution sources from pipes and drains (excluding agricultural runoff) that flow directly from qualifying municipalities to state waters. As a qualifying municipality, El Paso County holds an MS4 permit, and there are several best management practices (BMPs) in place to prevent stormwater runoff from polluting local water bodies. PCMs are an essential type of BMP used by the County to comply with the water quality requirements of its MS4 permit. PCMs can be referred to by different names, including stormwater management facilities, water quality facilities/features/structures, stormwater ponds, or water quality ponds.
Since 2020, El Paso County has allocated $1.2 million to establish a Stormwater Management Team consisting of inspection staff, engineers, and maintenance staff with associated equipment to ensure compliance with our MS4 Permit and the effective operations and maintenance of our PCMs. The team has successfully inventoried and assessed stormwater asset attributes associated with our MS4 permit and ensured control measures were in place to prevent and reduce discharge of pollutants to state waters across the county.
How is the data being used in support of our objective?
Despite the majority of the County’s PCMs being constructed prior to 2020, the Storm Water Management Team has quickly learned that routine maintenance is key to keeping these critical assets fully operational. Performing regular maintenance after storm events reduces the long-term costs of maintenance and downstream flooding risk while improving water quality. This includes common maintenance tasks such as mowing, removing vegetation, sediment, trash/debris, and cleaning inlet and outlet structures. However, the Storm Water Management Team has found that 23% of our PCMs require some level of structural maintenance, although they are still functioning and providing water quality benefits. It is crucial to keep a consistent budget for maintaining these key structures to ensure they function to their original design specifications and capacity.
Conveyance Systems
El Paso County is actively assessing its conveyance systems, a critical component of our stormwater infrastructure. These systems play a vital role in managing water flow, reducing flood risks, and protecting our environment. By evaluating the condition and efficiency of these systems, the County aims to ensure they meet current demands and prepare for future needs, enhancing the safety and resilience of our community.
Metric Details and Definition
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- Definition: Percentage of Permanent Stormwater Control Measures (PCMs) with a condition rating of “Fair” or better, based on the overall condition rating of El Paso County-owned and maintained stormwater structures.
- Calculation Method: PCM conditions are classified into different categories, including No Deficiencies Identified, Monitor, Fair, and Minor or Major Maintenance Required; the total count of Water Quality Structures that rate Fair or better is divided by the total count of Water Quality Structures, multiplied by 100.
Date page was last updated: February 2025
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