Boulder County Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program

Public Involvement & Participation

Boulder County notifies the public of any proposed stormwater quality ordinance changes by publishing the proposed ordinance in the newspaper, holding a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners, and posting the approved ordinance and other program updates here. Boulder County also welcomes feedback on the Program Descriptions.

Public Education & Outreach

Boulder County has developed an education and outreach strategy and is one of the seven member communities of the Keep it Clean Partnership, a collaborative organization formed in 2003 which focuses on water quality protection and enhancement. The Keep it Clean Partnership conducts public education and outreach at schools, community events, and through advertising.

• Education and outreach strategy

Detecting and Eliminating Illegal Discharges

Boulder County Public Health detects and eliminates pollution from entering Boulder County storm drains as part of the Boulder County Illegal Discharge Ordinance, our local clean water act.

Residents and visitors can help by reporting pollution entering storm drains and waterways.

Things to look for include:

• An unusual color of the water
• An unusual or foul odor
• Suds or puddles when there has not been recent precipitation
• Any unusual-looking substance leaving the storm drain
• Illegal dumping of waste near storm drains (e.g., household chemicals, automobile fluids)
• A large number of dead or dying animals including fish, crayfish, insects, waterfowl or other animals near a waterbody

Report a Concern

To verify if a concern is in unincorporated Boulder County, use the Property Search tool to determine the location before submitting your report. For a full list of contacts, for municipalities in Boulder County, see Keep It Clean Partnership.

• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Program

Overseeing Construction Practices

Construction activities disturb the vegetation and natural soils of a site, resulting in increased soil erosion, sedimentation, and other forms of pollution. Sediment that washes off a construction site can end up in waterways where it destroys aquatic habitat. The Boulder County Public Works Department protects waterways by ensuring construction projects effectively control pollution as part of the Stormwater Quality Permit Ordinance (Article 7-904) and implementation of the Stormwater Quality Permit.

• Construction Program

Managing Stormwater for New Development & Redevelopment

The County addresses runoff from development through the Post-Construction for New Development and Redevelopment Program through the Stormwater Quality Permit and through the Boulder County Storm Drainage Criteria Manual.

• Post-Construction Program

Preventing Stormwater Pollution from County Facilities & Operations

Boulder County provides technical support to ensure county departments implement stormwater quality protection practices in their facilities, projects, and daily activities.

• County Operations Program Description
• Municipal Operations Stormwater Standard Operating Procedures

Reporting

Boulder County reports stormwater protection activities and outcomes to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) each year in March.

Annual Reports

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018