Stormwater runoff from ours homes, businesses, and public facilities, is a significant source of pollution to the nation's waters, including our creeks and the San Francisco Bay. In 1987, Congress began to address this problem by requiring cities and counties to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The NPDES permits require cities and counties to develop and implement programs to control the discharge of pollutants both during construction and after the development project is complete. You can learn more about BMPs and local requirements for Construction Site Runoff Control and Post-Construction Runoff Management by using the quicklinks on the left.