The City of Crystal Lake is an owner and operator of a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) as defined by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II program. The City has applied for and obtained coverage under the IEPA’s General NPDES Permit for Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems.

A central requirement of the NPDES Phase II Permit is the development and implementation of a comprehensive Stormwater Management Program Plan (SMPP) to reduce or prevent the discharge of pollutants from entering the municipal storm sewer system. The SMPP encompasses all aspects of the City’s NPDES Phase II program and specifically addresses the following six minimum control measures:

  1. Public Education and Outreach
  2. Public Participation and Involvement
  3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
  4. Construction Site Runoff Control
  5. Post Construction Site Runoff Control
  6. Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping 

Portions of the City’s program rely on McHenry County as a Qualifying Local Program (QLP) to meet the requirements of the ILR 40 permit as indicated in the Notice of Intent (NOI).

This SMPP details all of the Best Management Practices (BMPs), activities, policies, and procedures that the City of Crystal Lake employs to protect water quality by reducing or preventing the introduction of contaminants into the municipal separate storm sewer system and to meet the requirements of their MS4 permit.

As a commitment to the goal of pollutant prevention and contaminant reduction, the City has developed a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for all municipally-owned facilities. The SWPPP details all of the municipally-owned properties, as well as the land use or activities, the potential pollutants present, the best management practices utilized and the contaminant risk for each site.

The SMPP is a living document that should be reviewed and updated regularly based on changes within the City and the NPDES regulations. If fully utilized, the SMPP provides the City with a vital tool to meet the following goals of this program:

  • Improve water quality,
  • Provide cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing local waterbodies and streams,
  • Enhance recreation opportunities,
  • Healthier environment for residents and wildlife. 

Questions or concerns relating to the City’s NPDES program should be sent to the Public Works Department.

Additional Resources

Climate Change

Climate change refers to any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time.  Climate change includes major changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns, among other effects, that occur over several decades or longer.  As a requirement of the City’s general ILR40 NPDES permit, consideration of impacts and effects of climate change on storm water, storm water controls, flood management, and BMP implementation are required to be addressed. A link to the EPA’s climate change website is located here.