The Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program has been implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped into municipal water systems.

"An MS4 is a conveyance or system of conveyances that is: (a) owned by a state, city, town, village, or other public entity that discharges to waters of the U.S.; (b) Designed or used to collect or convey stormwater (including storm drains, pipes, ditches, etc.); (c) Not a combined sewer; and (d) Not part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (sewage treatment plant)" (EPA, 2015).

In accordance with the MS4 program, the City of Aurora and Aurora Water will need to ensure that their systems meet necessary regulatory and permitting requirements.

For more information, please visit the EPA website.

Permit requirements shape the face of the infrastructure and built environment.  The City of Aurora and Aurora Water have numerous permitting requirements that affect rehabilitation, growth, development, and construction, including:

Building Permits

Certificates of Occupancy

Commercial Building Permits

Master Plan Permits

Single and Multi-Family Permits

Fire/Life Safety Permits

And more.

For more information, please visit the City of Aurora Permits Website.

With an environmental focus, today's construction, design, and rehabilitation industries are increasingly driven by sustainable alternatives.

The Green Infrastructure movement has been implemented and lead by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a means of encouraging sustainable infrastructure design, development, and construction.  Elements of the Green Infrastructure movement such as the Green Infrastructure Webcast Series, the Enhancing Sustainable Communities with Green Infrastructure Guidebook, the Green Infrastructure Collaborative, and the Campus Rainworks Challenge have poised the Green Infrastructure movement to take a prominent role in design and construction. For more information about the Green Infrastructure movement, please refer to the EPA web page for Green Infrastructure.

Defined by the US EPA, Low Impact Development (LID) "is an approach to land development (or re-development) that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible" (EPA, 2015). LID strategies are gaining traction and attention in the federal, municipal/public, and private industries, requiring projects to be cognizant of LID strategies and methodologies.  For more information, please refer to the EPA web page for LID.