Lexington’s Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee received an update Tuesday on the city’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program, which manages stormwater to protect local waterways from pollution.
MS4 stands for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, a network that collects and conveys stormwater separate from sanitary sewers. “Where our sanitary sewer goes to wastewater treatment plants, our storm sewer system drains directly into creeks and streams,” said Bailee Young, the city’s MS4 section manager. Lexington’s program operates under a stormwater discharge permit from the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection, tailored to large MS4 communities like Lexington and Louisville.
“Lexington sits on top of a hill and drains out. We really want to protect neighboring communities and our rivers and streams from pollutants, especially from urban runoff,” Young said.
She explained that pollutants from “everyday activities like car washing, pet waste, and oil and grease from automobiles” can enter storm drains and reach streams, impacting wildlife and recreation.
The program includes public education, community involvement, illicit discharge detection, construction site oversight, post-construction management, municipal operations, and industrial facility inspections. Recent work focused on illicit discharge detection and elimination, monitoring efforts across 64 sites, and developing a post-construction maintenance manual targeted for January 2026 release.
Thousands of inspections are conducted annually on detention basins, retention ponds, culverts, and other structures to ensure proper stormwater control.
The committee took no formal action following the presentation but received the report without objection.