Southern Steel & Wire Stormwater Outfall, Fort Smith, Arkansas | United States

Southern Steel & Wire is a stormwater outfall facility located at 3501 S. Tulsa in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States. It serves the industrial catchment of a steel and wire manufacturing plant, classified under NAICS 332618. The facility is operational and falls under the regulatory oversight of the US EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits. As a stormwater outfall, the facility manages runoff from an industrial site, which may include pollutants such as metals, oils, and sediments. The regulatory framework for stormwater discharges in the United States requires facilities to obtain NPDES permits and implement stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs). The facility's location in an urban area of Fort Smith means it is subject to Phase II MS4 requirements, which mandate best management practices (BMPs) to control stormwater runoff. The environmental significance of this facility lies in its role in managing industrial stormwater discharges to protect local water quality. The facility's discharge likely enters a waterbody within the Arkansas River basin, which is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. Proper management of stormwater from industrial sites is critical to prevent contamination of receiving waters and to comply with Clean Water Act standards.

The facility is located in an urban-industrial area of Fort Smith, Arkansas, within the Arkansas River watershed. The region experiences a humid subtropical climate with significant rainfall, increasing the potential for stormwater runoff to carry pollutants from industrial activities. The receiving waterbody may be impaired by sediment, metals, or other contaminants common in industrial catchments. Regulatory oversight under the Clean Water Act and NPDES MS4 permits aims to mitigate these impacts through stormwater management practices.