STORM Organization
Operational Structure | Members: Municipal & Affiliate | Membership Fees
STormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities, known as STORM, is a regional organization that will target stormwater education within the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. STORM was founded in 2002, in response to Federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater regulations (40 CFR 122.26.) These regulations required Phase I and II permittees to implement public education measures as part of their municipal permits. Phase I municipalities had populations greater than 100,000 people and Phase II cities had populations greater than 25,000 people.
In December 2002, the State of Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality took over primacy for the Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, now called the AZPDES program. Under this new program, the regulations remain largely the same for large and medium municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) owners (old Phase 1 communities), while new rules were established for small MS4's (old Phase II communities). Municipal permits issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were transferred to Arizona 's jurisdiction. Therefore, public education requirements that led to the development of STORM remain in place in municipal permits.
In 2006, STORM filed for incorporation as a not-for-profit organization. As part of this process, STORM developed Bylaws. These bylaws constitute a living document and are updated as necessary, but not less than annually.