Alachua County, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

The Alachua County Water Quality Standards and Management Practices Code (Chapter 77) targets everyday activities that quietly pollute waterways between rain events. Section 77.09(a) lists four specific dry-weather discharges that are flatly prohibited from reaching surface water, groundwater, wells, or sinkholes: wastewater from car washing, carpet cleaning, or pressure-washing sidewalks, buildings, roads, and parking lots; chlorinated pool cleanup water and pool treatment materials such as diatomaceous earth; leachate from barrels, trash cans, dumpsters, and food-scrap or grease-recycling containers; and spent brine or other wastewater from water-softener treatment equipment. Section 77.09(b)-(c) add equipment and site-keeping duties: leaking vehicle engines and equipment can't be stored where stormwater runoff reaches them, parking lots must be swept routinely to remove debris, and yard waste like clippings, leaves, and branches may not be discharged into a surface water body.

Separately, § 77.10 bars introducing anything other than stormwater into the county's municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or a private stormwater system, and it specifically outlaws illicit connections to either system, with narrow exceptions for permitted NPDES discharges, firefighting flows, and listed clean sources such as air-conditioning condensate and de-chlorinated pool discharges. For residential violations of the dry-weather and site-keeping rules in § 77.09(a)-(c), the code directs county staff to lead with an educational approach before moving to enforcement (§ 77.09(d)).