When it rains, water runs off impervious surfaces (i.e., driveways, roads, roofs) and along the ground, across gravel lots, etc. As it does it collects various materials and liquids and carries these down the into the stormwater drainage system. Naturally, the amount of water that flows off these surfaces depends on the pervious nature of the surface itself. The image below provides an example of how this works.

Once in the system, these contaminants are washed into local rivers and streams. In Martinsburg, this includes sources that directly impact our drinking water: the Tuscarora Creek and Opequon Creek.  All of Martinsburg's drinking water comes from underground wells. Examples of contaminants include—

• Litter
• Automotive liquids such as oils and antifreezes
• Soaps and other items used outside (i.e., washing house siding, washing a car)
• Gravel
• Soils
• Grass clippings
• Pet waste
• And many other items

 The same can be said for hazardous household wastes that are poured down the drain in our home or flushed down a toilet. During a period of excessive rainfall, these items can be directly released into the Tuscarora Creek via Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).

While all of this may not seem like a lot as it relates to a single household, the combined urban impact can be considerable. This is why your participation in protecting our water resources is so important. It all begins with you.

The City of Martinsburg is a Phase II MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) community. Martinsburg’s Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) was submitted to WVDEP on March 8, 2004 and amended on April 18, 2005.  Click to view Martinsburg's permit and the State of West Virginia's General Permit. The City has adopted a Stormwater Management and Surface Water Discharge Control Ordinance (Ordinance 2013-17) for new construction and redevelopment.  

The SWMP document outlines the City’s program to develop, implement and enforce a stormwater management program designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants to the maximum extent practicable, to protect water quality, and to satisfy the appropriate requirements of the Clean Water Act in accordance with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Phase II Program.

The SWMP addresses the six minimum control measures as required by state regulations.

The City has legal authority to fully implement its SWMP.

The WVDEP NPDES Permit coverage area is intended for the City corporate limits.

The six minimum controls are:

1. Public Education/Outreach
2. Public Participation/Involvement
3. Illicit Discharge Detection/Elimination
4. Construction Site Runoff Control
5. Post Construction Runoff Control
6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping

Part of the mission of the City of Martinsburg Stormwater is to reduce the quantity of pollutants entering area waterways contained in polluted storm water runoff.  The Federal Clean Water Act requires the City of Martinsburg to develop and implement a Stormwater Management Program that implements six control measures (BMPs Best Management Practices) to address polluted stormwater runoff. The following provides a brief summary of BMPs and their required control measures. The City is currently planning and implementing a varied range of projects to meet all of regulatory requirements. 

• Public Education and Outreach - This includes distributing educational materials and performing outreach to inform citizens about the impacts polluted stormwater runoff discharges can have on water quality and steps they can take to reduce or prevent pollution. 
• Public Involvement and Participation - Providing opportunities for citizens to participate in program development and implementation, including effectively publicizing public hearings and/or encouraging citizen representatives on a stormwater stakeholders panel. 
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination - Developing and implementing a plan to detect and eliminate illicit discharges to the stormwater system. 
• Construction Site Runoff Control - Developing, implementing, and enforcing an erosion and sediment control program for construction activities in urban areas to control erosion and minimize the discharge of the other potential contaminants from construction sites. 
• Post Construction Stormwater Management for New and Redevelopment - Developing, implementing, and enforcing a program to address discharges of post-construction stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment areas. Applicable controls could include preventative actions such as protecting vulnerable areas (i.e. streams) or the use of structural BMPs such as grassed swales or buffer strips. 
• Pollution Prevention / Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations - Developing and implementing a program with the goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operations. The program must include municipal staff training on pollution prevention measures and techniques (e.g., regular street sweeping, reduction in the use of pesticides or street salt, and frequent catch- basin cleaning). 

The City of Martinsburg’s stormwater collection and conveyance system consists of various curb gutters, drop inlets, and over 50 miles of gravity storm sewer mains that convey the storm water to outlets along Tuscarora Creek, or in the case of the combined segment, to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Since stormwater is collected and conveyed, in both separate and combined storm sewer systems, the City of Martinsburg is classified by the US EPA as a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System and a Combined Sewer System.

During precipitation events water that falls upon impervious areas such as roof tops, streets, sidewalks, and parking lots will transport pollutants from these surfaces to the Tuscarora Creek. To reduce this pollutant loading to the stream, the City of Martinsburg has adopted various best management practices such as routine street/curb cleaning, rain garden construction, and rain barrel workshops.

Combined Sewer Outflow Areas (CSOs) are points permitted by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where the sanitary and stormwater systems combine and occasionally discharge. During dry weather the CSOs have no impact on our local waterways. However, during significant wet weather events when the capacity of the system is exceeded, CSOs are designed to discharge excess flows directly to nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies. During such discharges, the baseline flow (set by the conveyance capacity of the pipeline) continues to flow to the wastewater plant for treatment.

CSO discharges may contain stormwater and untreated human and animal waste, toxic materials and debris. Unfortunately, CSOs are part of a legacy system and are common in systems such as ours.

While Martinsburg would love to eliminate CSOs from the local system, doing so is not financially realistic. The cost of eliminating CSOs themselves would easily run into the tens of millions of dollars. 

All development and redevelopment proposals that exceed one acre disturbance or the creation of 5,000 square feet or more of impervious cover are subject to the requirements of the City of Martinsburg's stormwater requirements.  Requirements include management of erosion and sediment control related to storm water during the construction process and installation of permanent storm water management for the completed project.

Ordinance 2013-17 - Stormwater Management Ordinance of the City of Martinsburg

• Sediment can cloud the water and make it difficult or impossible for aquatic plants to grow. Sediment also can destroy aquatic habitats.
• Excess nutrients can cause algae blooms. When algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompose in a process that removes oxygen from the water. Fish and other aquatic organisms can’t exist in water with low dissolved oxygen levels.
• Bacteria and other pathogens can wash into swimming areas and create health hazards, often making beach closures necessary.
• Debris—plastic bags, six-pack rings, bottles, and cigarette butts—washed into waterbodies can choke, suffocate, or disable aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles, and birds.
• Household hazardous wastes like insecticides, pesticides, paint, solvents, used motor oil, and other auto fluids can poison aquatic life. Land animals and people can become sick or die from eating diseased fish and shellfish or ingesting polluted water.
• Polluted stormwater often affects drinking water sources. This, in turn, can affect human health and increase drinking water treatment costs.

Some of the most common household activities can have an unhealthy impact on our water quality, from washing the car to killing weeds. Each time it rains, stormwater, or water not absorbed by the ground, carries pollutants into our waters. Here are some tips to help keep our waters clean.

Agriculture & Lawn Care

• Manage animal waste to minimize contamination or surface water and ground water, and obey local animal waste laws.
• Keep leaves, grass clippings and other debris away from storm drains, gutters and waterways. These outlets drain directly into lakes, streams and rivers and can contribute to harmful algae blooms and fish kills.
• Run your mower with the vent closed. Clippings left on the lawn can dramatically reduce the need for additional nitrogen (from fertilizers).
• Choose plants, trees and other landscaping elements that will do well in your area with little watering.
• Start a compost pile of leaves and grass clippings to serve as a naturally rich fertilizer and mulch. Otherwise, bag leaves and grass and set out for pick-up.
• Whenever possible, protect drinking water by using less pesticides and fertilizers.
• Dispose of pesticides, containers and tanks according to directions on containers.

Automotive Care

• If you spill an engine degreaser, oil, brake fluid, tire cleaner or anti-freeze, do not hose it off. It will then eventually reach local streams and lakes. Instead, sprinkle sawdust, cornmeal, cat litter or a commercial absorbent over the spill. Let soak and sweep up.
• Consider taking your car to a car wash or washing it on the grass, where the ground can absorb water and pollutants can be filtered.
• Fix any car leaks to avoid contaminating our watershed with oil. One quart of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of water.
• Dispose of oil, antifreeze, paints and other household chemicals properly and according to instructions on containers.

Conservation & Prevention

• Save hundreds of gallons of water with ease by putting a spray nozzle on your hose and turning off the hose between rinses.
• Ask carpet cleaners, painters and contractors how they keep pollutants from entering the groundwater system.
• Before draining swimming pool, let the water stand until it no longer contains chlorine and other pool cleaners.
• Clean and maintain boats away from water. Use a drop cloth and vacuum paint chips and dust.
• Fuel up cars and boats carefully.

Image source: Little Steps to a Sustainable Future/UCLA

Find Your Watershed Tool

The City of Martinsburg Stormwater Program, in partnership with West Virginia Rivers Coalition, has developed a new digital tool for connecting eastern panhandle residents with opportunities to protect their local watersheds.

A watershed is an area of land where all of the water that flows across or drains off it collects into a common body of water. For example, land in and around Martinsburg flows into the Opequon Creek, which is a tributary to the Potomac River.

The “Find Your Watershed” tool, which covers all of Jefferson, Berkeley, and Morgan Counties, is innovative in providing an opportunity for interested residents to directly introduce themselves to their local watershed group.

Since 2018, the City of Martinsburg Stormwater Management has held a summer internship program. Summer intern positions focus on digitizing past construction files and all relevant infrastructure data, collecting new information in the field, digitizing and georeferencing existing engineer drawings of stormwater infrastructure and the creation and/or maintenance of a geodatabase of all collected field data and documentation. This includes processing all collected data to the MS4 infrastructure map, creating a digital inventory and uploading to a network drive. Interns will also contribute to other duties and projects as assigned. Below is the 2021 and 2020 internship story map!

City of Martinsburg Stormwater Plan

Annual Reports:

• City of Martinsburg Annual Report 2024
• City of Martinsburg Annual Report 2023
• City of Martinsburg Annual Report 2022
• City of Martinsburg Annual Report 2021
• City of Martinsburg Annual Report 2020

 Land Disturbance Permit Application