The EPA's six minimum control measures seem pretty basic, and can be interpreted in various ways.

Any community in Phase I or II already knows what they're expected to do. But how do you meet these permit requirements? How do you make sure you're ready for the next level of permitting? And how do you ensure that you're up to snuff with your local EPA's conditions? The EPA's six minimum control measures spell it out—to a degree.

• Public education and outreach
• Public involvement and participation
• Illicit discharge detection and elimination
• Construction site runoff control
• New development and redevelopment
• Pollution prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations.

BMPs are commonly used to reduce stormwater woes, but they can be difficult to navigate.

When asked about the biggest challenges to managing stormwater, readers to a recent exclusive survey weren't shy. The top five issues, shown in the chart, ranked as “very important” to our readers. These problems are followed by watersheds (43%), aging equipment/infrastructure (40%), and constituent relations (40%).

According to the same survey, some of the best management practices (BMPs) and resources that our readers use include:

• Storage/detention systems: 81%
• Consultants: 70%
• Drainage equipment: 63%
• Sweepers: 58%