At its June 7, 2017 meeting, the City Commission approved an Interlocal Agreement between all Co- permittees named in National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit No. FLS000003 and Miami-Dade County providing for performance of professional services by Miami-Dade County; and also, as between all Co-permittees, providing for identification and control of pollutant discharges in shared municipal storm sewer systems for a period of five (5) years, from October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2022, or until a replacement Interlocal Agreement is executed, whichever is later, via Resolution 2017-29892.

The original cost of being a Co-permittee to Miami Dade County's permit was $15,000 per year, however, due to an increase in monitoring fees, and increased number of surface water quality stations throughout the Bay, the fees have been raised to $24,328 per year.

The Agreement shall become effective, and supersede the current interlocal agreement, on October 1, 2022, and expire on September 30, 2027.

Water pollution can degrade surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program addresses water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the U.S. In the State of Florida, the EPA has authorized the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to implement the NPDES stormwater permitting program on its behalf.

As the NPDES stormwater permitting authority, FDEP is responsible for issuing Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System MS4 permits.

Stormwater systems are a tool used by cities around the world for managing the runoff from rainfall, reducing the likelihood of flooding, and keeping streets dry. The City operates an MS4 type of stormwater system, meaning the stormwater system is not connected to or combined with the sanitary sewer system.

The Miami Beach MS4 is comprised of over 90 miles of pipes that carry rainwater collected from inlets on City streets and discharge it by gravity or using pumps at over 300 outfalls into our waterways and Biscayne Bay. 

The NPDES permit allows for municipal stormwater discharges as long as they meet water quality standards and implement Best Management Practices that reduce pollutants to the Maximum Extent Practicable". To this end, the City is required to have an NPDES permit to operate its stormwater system and to implement a comprehensive stormwater management program that focuses on pollution prevention in order to maintain permit compliance. The City is one of more than 30 co-permittees with Miami-Dade County for NPDES Permit No. FLS000003, covering a combined total of more than 8,000 outfalls throughout Miami- Dade County.

This Interlocal Agreement (the "Agreement") between Co-permittees named in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit No. FLS000003 and Miami-Dade County, provides for performance of professional services by Miami-Dade County as well as identification and control of pollutant discharges in shared municipal separate storm sewer systems.

Results from the 2019 resident survey show that over 73% of Miami Beach residents rated the reliability of sewer (wastewater) services as excellent or good.