Congratulations to George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations’ (F&CO) very own Land Development team for a successful audit held by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program. The MS4 permit program is designed to address the unique challenges associated with urban and suburban areas, where stormwater can pick up pollutants from various sources and ultimately discharge into local water bodies. Beginning in 2008, the MS4 program at George Mason University has protected the quality of our stormwater runoff and Best Management Practices (BMPs) across the Fairfax and SciTech campuses.
The DEQ issues two types of MS4 permits, General and Individual permits. General Permits are issued to general discharges and have standardized requirements. Individual permits are customized for the specific needs and conditions of the site. Under the general permit, F&CO’s Land Development team implements, and enforces the MS4 program to follow these 6 minimum control measures:
- Public Education & Outreach on Stormwater Impacts
- Public Involvement and Participation
- Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
- Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
- Post-construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment
- Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations
Despite critical staffing shortages, Zhongyan (Jane) Xu, Civil and Environmental Engineering Manager, has been able to successfully manage the MS4 Program.
“Our MS4 program is really a team effort across the board, it involves Facilities Administration, Facilities Maintenance, University Sustainability, and students.” said Xu. “I think students are a very important part of this and it's where we’re very unique.”
“I really enjoyed being part of the outreach activities where the students and the community had the chance to prepare a mini rain garden and take them home as a souvenir.” Said Brenda Claudio, Project Manager. “Students were explained about the SWM facilities and how they work removing pollutants for water quality and provide storage for water quantity at sites. By doing mini rain gardens the students were exposed to visualize how the raingardens operate.”
The 40-page audit consisted of 155 notes with only one minor correction item due for completion mid-August 2025.