In the spring of 2002, Minnesota cities were faced with a strict deadline to complete a difficult and vaguely defined permit application for the federal NPDES program. They were also required to write unique stormwater pollution prevention programs (SWPPPs). The League of Minnesota Cities selected a team led by Bonestroo to prepare a guide plan to help these communities meet the challenge. Initially, communities were struggling with the NPDES standard that called for cities to protect water quality to the “maximum extent practicable.” Bonestroo helped develop standards that were reviewed by the state permitting agency (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) prior to the submittal deadline. The Guide Plan developed a well-defined series of concrete steps for cities to follow in preparing SWPPPs and permit applications to meet NPDES standards.