An updated stormwater management plan from the city of Poplar Bluff could include additional mapping of the more than 6,000 acres that fall within its boundaries.
Currently, there are no accurate maps of the entire stormwater conveyance system or accurate count of all of the inlets, documents presented Monday to the city council state.
City officials want to map one city ward per year to determine all areas where stormwater discharges into local streams and rivers.
The mapping would take about five years to complete, according to proposed updates.
The stormwater management plan is part of a permit the city has with the state that allows stormwater runoff to be deposited in the river, said James Sisk, city planner.
“With this permit comes a set of rules... to do this the correct way,” Sisk explained.
The permit will renew in 2026 and the city is currently working with Smith and Company engineering firm to update it.
“We have to bring our stormwater management plan up to match what the new permit says,” Sisk said. “The permit changed in the past cycle. It’s a different permit that’s passed down through the EPA into the state.”
Part of the requirements include an annual update to the city council, which is why Sisk said he was on the council’s agenda Monday.
“We’re working through the deficiencies that were pointed out by the Department of Natural Resources in our current plan,” he said.
The approximately 60-page draft document includes a new section detailing the additional mapping, funding allowing, of stormwater conveyance areas.
The city would also map areas with a higher likelihood of illicit discharges. This would also be done one ward at a time, over a five-year period.
The goal of the stormwater management plan is to prevent pollution from entering the waterways surrounding Poplar Bluff, which includes 10 rivers, creeks and ditches identified by the plan. The Black River, Pike Creek, Cravens Ditch and Main Ditch are among those.
The city has since 1990 required stormwater management on new development and redevelopment projects within its boundaries. The plan was revised in 2003, according to city documents, and stormwater detention has been the main method of stormwater management required.
Updating maps of stormwater retention basins permitted since 2003 is among the goals targeted by the updated plan.
The plans asks the city to categorize permitted basins based on the level of impact from storm events.
The city has also been asked to provide public education to citizens to raise awareness of stormwater pollution prevention.
City officials said educational materials are provided through utility bills and distributed as permits are issued. The city averages 225 building permits issued per year, officials reported.
Community clean up programs are also listed as part of this plan. These include: the city’s annual Buff up the Bluff event, which allows citizens to get rid of unwanted items at no cost; the monthly bulky trash pick up, which allows residents to get rid of up to four items at a total cost of $20 with curbside pickup; and the Adopt-A-Street clean up program.
The updated plan also asks the city to look at its own disposal procedures. Written procedures for the disposal of waste such as dredged material, sediments and other debris are expected to be complete by Dec. 31.
The current plan is active through 2026.