Standard Operating Procedures
The MS4 permit outlines a significant amount of information that needs to be included in a community's Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). The following SOPs are templates that can be used by communities to comply with permit requirements, mostly for Minimum Control Measure 6 - Good Housekeeping and Pollution Prevention.
All SOPs were developed with the intent of making them broadly applicable to MS4 communities both within CMRSWC and throughout the Commonwealth. The SOPs are in editable templates that allow municipalities to customize them, as needed.
CMRSWC conducted training workshops for municipal employees on implementing the revised SOPs. The 2020 SOP workshops focused on the following:
- Thorough review of each of the SOP templates.
- “Virtual inspections” during which site photos were used to facilitate discussion among participants of what to look for during facility inspections and how to interpret various situations—both good and bad—that might be observed during facility inspections.
- Additional support and focus on specialized requirements associated with TMDLs and impaired waters in their MS4.
Click on the links below for a PDF of each SOP narrative and any inspection forms associated with it. A Word version of the SOPs is located below the PDFs.
Please use discretion when using these forms, and make sure that you are familiar with the Disclaimers that apply to all CMRSWC products.
- SOP 1: Dry Weather Outfall Inspection
- SOP 2: Wet Weather Outfall Inspection
- SOP 3: Catch Basin Inspection and Cleaning
- SOP 4: Spill Response and Cleanup
- SOP 5: Construction Site Inspection
- SOP 6: Erosion and Sedimentation Control
- SOP 7: Fuel and Oil Handling
- SOP 9: Inspecting Constructed BMPs
- SOP 10: Locating Illicit Discharges
- SOP 11: Oil/Water Separator Maintenance
- SOP 12: Storage and Use of Pesticides and Fertilizer
- SOP 13: Water Quality Screening with Field Kits
- SOP 14: Municipal Vehicle Washing
- SOP 15: Private Drainage Connections
- SOP 16: Streets and Parking Lots
- SOP 17: Hazardous Materials Storage and Handling
- SOP 18: Winter Road Maintenance
- SOP 19: Operations and Maintenance of Parks and Open Spaces
- SOP 20: Operations and Maintenance of Municipal Buildings and Facilities
- SOP 21: Operations and Maintenance of Municipal Vehicles and Equipment
- SOP 22: Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
Word Versions
- Index of all SOPs
- SOP 1: Dry Weather Outfall Inspection
- SOP 1: Dry Weather Outfall Inspection Form
- SOP 2: Wet Weather Outfall Inspection
- SOP 2: Wet Weather Outfall Inspection Form
- SOP 3: Catch Basin Inspection and Cleaning
- SOP 3: Catch Basin Inspection Form
- SOP 4: Spill Response and Cleanup
- SOP 4: Massachusetts Spill Response and Cleanup Contact List
- SOP 5: Construction Site Inspection
- SOP 5: Construction Inspection Form
- SOP 6: Erosion and Sedimentation Control
- SOP 6: Erosion and Sedimentation Control Inspection Form
- SOP 7: Fuel and Oil Handling
- SOP 7: Fuel Delivery SOP Checklist
- SOP 9: Inspecting Constructed BMPs
- SOP 9: Constructed BMPs Inspection Form
- SOP 10: Locating Illicit Discharges
- SOP 10: Illicit Discharge Incident Tracking Sheet
- SOP 11: Oil/Water Separator Maintenance
- SOP 11: Oil/Water Separator Quarterly Checklist
- SOP 12: Storage and Use of Pesticides and Fertilizer
- SOP 13: Water Quality Screening with Field Kits
- SOP 13: Water Quality Screening Form
- SOP 14: Municipal Vehicle Washing
- SOP 15: Private Drainage Connections
- SOP 15: Private Drainage Inspection Form
- SOP 15: Sump Pump Inspection Form
- SOP 16: Streets and Parking Lots
- SOP 16: Street Sweeping Log
- SOP 17: Hazardous Materials Storage and Handling
- SOP 18: Winter Road Maintenance
- SOP 19: Operations and Maintenance of Parks and Open Spaces
- SOP 19: Inventory of Municipal Parks and Open Spaces
- SOP 20: Operations and Maintenance of Municipal Buildings and Facilities
- SOP 20: Inventory of Municipal Buildings and Facilities
- SOP 21: Operations and Maintenance of Municipal Vehicles and Equipment
- SOP 21: Inventory of Municipal Vehicles and Equipment
- SOP 22: Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
- SOP 22: Erosion and Sedimentation Control Inspection Report