Baltimore Integrated Planning Framework Development

In recent years, the regulated community under the Clean Water Act has found enforcement expensive and detrimental to proper operation of water and storm sewer infrastructure. Partly in response to such concerns, the U.S. EPA issued May 2012 guidance on an Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework designed to encourage the EPA Regions to work with states to allow local partners under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting program flexibility for municipal governments' Clean Water Act obligations. Baltimore, Maryland, is one of the first utilities to develop an Integrated Planning Framework under this guidance. The City's IPF utilizes a triple bottom line approach to evaluate and prioritize the City's CIP projects. The IPF is expected to result in a modification of the City's 2002 Consent Decree extending compliance deadlines for sanitary sewer overflow elimination projects and allowing completion of water and stormwater improvements with greater environmental benefits.