Stormwater

The City of Haverhill owns and operates a system for the collection and transport of stormwater in the City. The stormwater system collects stormwater runoff (rain and snowmelt) and discharges it into receiving waters around the city. This stormwater web site offers the reader useful links to other web sites; details Haverhill’s current SWMP plans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and updates to these plans; and will be used as a Best Management Practice (BMP) for Public Education and Outreach.

Approximately 70% of Haverhill is served by separate storm drains. The remainder of Haverhill is served by combined sewers, sanitary sewers only or is open space with no sewers or storm drains.

Discharges to the City of Haverhill’s separate storm drainage system are regulated under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Permit Regulations. The City of Haverhill’s NPDES Stormwater Permit became effective on July 1, 2018. In Massachusetts, permits are issued jointly by EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

Haverhill Stormwater Management Plan

The Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) for the City of Haverhill was developed to meet the requirements of the NPDES Stormwater Permit. The goal of the SWMP is to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the stormwater system to the receiving waters such as the Merrimack River, Little River, etc.

The SWMP describes and details the activities and measures that will be implemented by the City to meet the terms and conditions of the NPDES Stormwater Permit. To meet the “maximum extent practicable” standard in the NPDES Stormwater Permit, the City must develop and implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the following six minimum control measures: