Engineering Stormwater
Environmental Compliance

The mission of the Stormwater Environmental Compliance Unit within the Stormwater Division is to administer the City’s ‘National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System’ (NPDES) Permit issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

In the past, Stormwater was looked at as only a drainage and an occasional flooding issue but that old view is no longer valid.  Stormwater is now recognized as a valuable natural resource that is most particularly critical here in Florida for the recharge of our groundwater aquifer drinking water supply.  The degradation of that resource by pollution is no longer acceptable.

The United States Congress reauthorized the ‘Clean Water Act’ in 1987 requiring the US EPA to institute a NPDES permitting program for urban stormwater drainage systems that discharge to waters of the United States.  The City of Ocala falls under the requirements of this federal legislation.

Following that federal regulation, the City of Ocala applied for and was issued a FDEP NPDES Permit (ID #FLR04E046) in 2004.  The City has been operating under that permit since that time.  Under that permit the City is required to develop and implement numerous stormwater system programs and ‘Best Management Practices’ for the purpose of improving the overall water quality of the City’s stormwater.

Click here to learn more about Ocala’s NPDES Stormwater Compliance Program

Richard A. Willett
NPDES Environmental Manager
rwillett@ocalafl.org
(352) 629-8521