The major components of the City of Tempe Stormwater Management Plan are:

1) The City of Tempe has adopted a stringent Stormwater Quality Ordinance that identifies and prohibits practices detrimental to stormwater quality. By better identifying these types of discharges, the Water Utilities Department will be able to react to situations with the potential to pollute our watershed at the local level. Through Article VI of Chapter 12 of the Tempe City Code we will prohibit, identify, and remove illicit connections to our storm drain systems.

2) The City of Tempe has established a Hotline for citizens to report illegal dumping and spills. This stormwater hotline number is (480) 350-2811. The Tempe Police Department, Environmental Services Division, and the Fire Department cooperatively respond to spills in the right-of-way to provide containment and clean up to minimize adverse impacts to public health and safety and stormwater.

3) The Environmental Services Division monitors discharges from our storm drains both during dry weather and during storms. The dry weather data is used to detect and eliminate sources of cross contamination from irrigation lines, sewer lines and septic tanks. Wet weather information is used to prioritize industrial inspections to locate sources of pollution in stormwater discharges. This information is also used to identify areas where there can be a benefit from public awareness and education.   This would include areas such as the Alternative Retention Criteria Area, of downtown which has specific retention criteria as defined by Chapter 12 of the Tempe City Code, which can be found in Article IV of Chapter 12.

4) The Water Utilities Department has established a routine storm drain maintenance program. This program involves regular inspection and cleaning intervals of our catch basins and storm drain pipes to prevent the build up of potential pollutants in the system.

5) In accordance with federal Clean Water Act regulations, EPA requires a select group of industrial facilities to develop Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans and obtain AZPDES (NPDES) Stormwater Permits. The Environmental Services Division is developing an industrial facility database and industrial inspection program to assist our industrial community in achieving compliance with the federal requirements.

6) The City of Tempe operates several facilities, both regulated and not regulated by the federal stormwater program. We strive to operate our own facilities as models of compliance with the current best management plans in stormwater quality management. Our regulated facilities have developed and implemented Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans. Non-regulated City of Tempe-owned facilities are in the process of implementing the same stormwater management practices.

7) We are committed to the ongoing development of public outreach programs.

8) The City of Tempe has several other programs are in place to assist in maintaining desirable stormwater quality. These include the Street Sweeping Program, the Uncontained Trash Pick-up Program, and the Curbside Recycling Program.