Policies & Regulations

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To provide safe and sustainable water for Olympia, the City both enforces, and is subject to, numerous policies and regulations. Storm and Surface Water staff coordinate internally and work closely with state agencies and neighboring jurisdictions on planning and regulatory issues.

The Storm and Surface Water Plan and Stormwater Drainage Manual are available online in printer-friendly PDF versions. Additional resources about policies and regulations that concern the Utility are listed below:

City Policies and Regulations

• OMC 13.16 - Storm and Surface Water Utility
• Olympia Comprehensive Plan
• Critical Areas Ordinance - Available through Olympia's online Municipal Code. The Critical Areas Ordinance is listed under Title 18, Chapter 18.32.

State Regulations

• Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit
  All stormwater runoff flowing through Olympia's pipes, ponds, and ditches must now be managed according to the requirements of a new permit issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology (WDOE) in January of 2007. The Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit requires the City to take actions like; educating the public and encouraging non-polluting behaviors, looking for illegal dumping and cross-connections, enforcing erosion and sediment control at construction sites, and using best practices for land management and stormwater system maintenance.
• Water Clean-Up Plans - Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

Inter-jurisdictional Efforts

• Henderson Shellfish Protection District
• Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan
• Shoreline Master Plan/Program for Thurston County Region (SMP)
• We are also involved with efforts to address sewer expansions, septic systems, drinking water quality, marine water quality in Budd Inlet, land acquisition and conservation easements, and many others.

Contact Public Works

• Mailing Address: PO Box 1967, Olympia, WA 98507
• Physical Address: 924 7th Ave. SE, Suite A (directions)
• Hours: Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• 360.753.8588, TTY 360.753.8270
• publicworks@ci.olympia.wa.us
• Visit the Public Works homepage