In 1987 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amended the Clean Water Act (CWA), requiring the implementation of a two phase program for addressing storm water discharges. On December 9, 1999 EPA published the second phase of the storm water regulations (64 FR 68721). As outlined in these regulations, municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4's) serving populations of more than 50,000 and/or processing a density of 1000 people per square mile are required to obtain a General Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. The EPA is yet to issue a general NPDES Phase II permit for regulated MS4s. The EPA is requesting municipal storm sewer operators to apply for an individual NPDES permit as required by 40 CFR 122.33.
As outlined in this regulation the Municipality of Camuy is required to submit an application for permit coverage. Presented to the EPA, Camuy's Notice of Intent (NOI) to obtain the individual NPDES permit for the municipalities storm sewer system discharge. In the content of this NOI we will render the proposed storm water management plan to be implemented by the municipality. As part of the NOI we will also include general information on the permittee, the nature of their business, a description of the characteristics and hydrology of the Camuy municipality, person (s) responsible for implementing the plan and the MS4 main users.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not delegated the NPDES permitting program to the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (PREQB). Thus, USEPA Region 2 has issued a general NPDES permit for Small Municipal Separate Storm for Puerto Rico as of November 6, 2006. See the EPA Region 2 Public Notices page for a full list of Clean Water Act violations in Puerto Rico (and NY), and the proposed penalties for the respondents or applicants.
PERMITTEE GENERAL INFORMATION
The Camuy MS4 is currently owned and operated by the municipality under the direction of its mayor, Honorable Edwin Garcia Feliciano. The municipality is in the process of creating an Environmental Affairs Office whose responsibility will be to implement the required storm water plan. Until this office is created, Mr. Eliezer Perez, Director of Federal Programs Division, will be the person responsible for assuring the plan maintains its proposed schedule.
The town of Camuy is located in the northwest region of the island of Puerto Rico at latitude 18° 28' 59" and longitude 66° 51' 28". The municipality has a territorial extension of 46.43 square miles of which 7 square miles are classified as urban area (for purposes of the MS4 management plan, only the delineated urban area is considered the service area of the municipality storm sewer system). The municipality is bounded to the north with the Atlantic Ocean, to the east with the Municipality of Hatillo, to the south with the Municipality of Lares and to the west with the Municipality of Quebradillas. Camuy possesses a population of 35,244 inhabitants of which 4,013 reside in the urban area of the town.
The main access road to the town is road PR-2. The municipality is composed of the urban zone and 13 wards, Yeguada, Membrillo, Puente, Camuy Arriba, Cienaga, l.anja, Piedra Gorda, Abra Honda, Puertos, Santiago, Cibao, Quebrada and Pueblo.
Camuy is located between the mountain spine of Puerto Rico and the north shore plains. The topography is very irregular. There is only one (1) river, which is named the Camuy River, and ten (10) creeks: Pozo Brujo, Pozo Masa, Quebrada de Agua, Muela de Vaca, Riachuelo de Cibao, Mata Platanos, Emajagual, Canela, Asta and Ojo de Agua.
Camuy is located at a karstic zone, which is characterized by natural depressions in the ground with no exit, named sinkholes and limestone hills of conical form called "mogotes". Towards the interior of the Municipality, the topography becomes very irregular, where the "Cibao" Depression is found. This land belt completely divides the sinkhole zone in two sections, the north and south sections. This type of topography allows the development of caves because of the soil characteristics; the zone includes a depression that comprises an area of six (6) acres of land which is called "Three Town Sinkhole", and has approximately 350 ft. deep from the ground level to its bottom, where the Camuy River passes through it while it flows underground.
Camuy is also part of the Northwest Plateau, which includes a predominant flat or lightly undulated shoreline belt called Quebradillas Plain.
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP I STORM WATER SEWER MAP
The Municipality of Camuy’s MS4, in the general urban area, consists of a series of catch basins, typically located within the right-of-way of municipal and state roads (PR-2), and is interconnected by underground concrete or PVC pipes which normally discharge to the Atlantic Ocean through the Camuy River (located east of the urban area). As a summary, the Urban Area of the Camuy Municipality is part of one watershed. Runoff runs northeast towards the Camuy River which eventually discharges North into the Atlantic Ocean. Two (2) outfalls have been identified as part of the Camuy' s MS4.
In the rural areas the municipal MS4 typically consists of a series of interconnected open channel culverts, which run parallel to municipal roads, and usually discharge to a surface water body.
As the Camuy Municipality implements the proposed Storm Water Management Plan a more accurate description of the municipal MS4s can be provided.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS
Camuy is a government public entity under the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
SQUARE MILEAGE SERVED BY THE MS4
The municipality has a territorial extension of 46 square miles of which 7 square miles are classified as urban area (for purposes of the MS4 management plan, only the delineated urban area is considered the service area of the municipality storm sewer system).
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING OR COORDINATING THE APPLICANT'S STORM WATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Mr. Eliezer Perez- Director, Federal Programs Division
P.O. Box 539 | Camuy, PR 00627
(787) 898-2160
DNER Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Stormwater Management Program