Regular Meetings
Meetings are held quarterly in March, June, September, and December to discuss permit requirements and coordinate for the purposes of public outreach and stormwater management. The public is welcome to attend these meetings. If you’d like to attend, please reference the details below. Please contact Jack Wells at 509-574-2300 if you have further questions.
Next Meeting: Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 1:00 PM.
Location: Sunnyside Fire Station 513 S. 8th St. Sunnyside, WA 98944
Membership
The Yakima Regional Stormwater Group (RSWG) is an advisory group consisting of local elected or appointed officials from Yakima County, and the cities of Selah, Sunnyside, and Union Gap to oversee municipal staff efforts to regionally comply with stormwater permit requirements.
RSWG Accomplishments
The RSWG formed in September of 2005 to reevaluate costs and benefits, if any, to regional governance of stormwater discharge required under a proposed NPDES Phase II permit from the Washington Department of Ecology. With funding provided by an Ecology grant, the RSWG contracted for a Value Engineering report to examine the proposed permit requirements and estimate the cost for each municipality to comply with the minimum requirements of the permit. A followup report (PDF) examined regional savings that could be realized and any extra costs of running a regional program.
Based on favorable findings in these reports, an intergovernmental stormwater agreement (ILA) was signed in July of 2007, providing a basis for the County to provide regional permit compliance services through 2010 to the Cities of Yakima, Union Gap, and Sunnyside. In 2014 the ILA was amended due to the City of Yakima withdrawing from the ILA, and the City of Selah joining. In 2019 the ILA was again amended and the jurisdictions agreed to obtain and hold their own separate municipal stormwater permits but wishes to remain a voluntary ad hoc advisory group.
Presentations