The City of Auburn has been designated by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) as a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). The EPA's Storm Water Phase II rule, scheduled to be implemented on March 10, 2003, requires operators of regulated small MS4s to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and develop a storm water management program designed to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed into the MS4 by storm water runoff.

The intent of these requirements is to reduce the adverse impacts to water quality and aquatic habitat by instituting the use of controls on the unregulated sources of storm water discharges. In order to comply with these regulations, the MS4 must satisfy six "minimum control measures," including:

• Public Education and Outreach
• Public Participation/Involvement
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
• Construction Site Runoff Control
• Post-Construction Runoff Control
• Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping