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Stormwater Phase II
Help Us Protect Our Rivers & Streams
Many of the storm sewers in Tipp City drain directly into our creeks and the Great Miami River. Storms sewers in Tipp City do not go to or drain to the City’s wastewater treatment facility. Therefore, it is important to prevent the introduction of materials into these drains which could cause problems in the receiving streams or waterways. Examples of prohibited discharges to storm drains and streams:
- Waste oils and grease
- Paints and solvents, including but not limited to products like thinners
- Solids of any kind, including grass clippings and yard debris.
- Excavation areas with no erosion control measures placed
- Small Construction Sites
- Municipally-Owned Facilities
- Small Municipalities
- Storm Water Program Facts
- Six Minimum Control Measures
The existing Storm Water NPDES requires permit coverage for construction activities in Ohio that disturb more than one acre. Pollutants of concern include sediments and erosion from these sites.
Municipally-owned industrial facilities which have been excluded from Phase I must apply for permit coverage by March 10, 2003. These facilities include, but are not limited to, wastewater treatment plants that discharge at least 1 million gallons of water per day and construction sites larger than 1 acre.
About 280 municipalities located in urbanized areas and that operate municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) will be included in the program in the State of Ohio. Pollutants from MS4s include floatables, oil and grease, as well as other pollutants from illicit discharges. The definition of MS4 does not include combined sewer systems. A combined sewer system is a wastewater collection system that conveys sanitary wastewater and storm water through a single set of pipes to a publicly-owned treatment works (POTW) for treatment before discharging to a receiving water-body. During wet weather events, the capacity of the combined sewer system can be exceeded, resulting in an overflow, or CSO.
Combined sewer systems are not subject to these regulations. These systems are addressed in the Ohio EPA CSO Control Policy (March 1995). If a municipality is served by both separate and combined sewer systems, only the separate portion of the system is regulated by this rule. The regulations will also affect discharges from MS4s owned by the state or political subdivisions of the state or the United States. This includes runoff from highways, hospitals, prisons, military bases or universities which are located within the urban areas affected by this regulation.
Operators of small MS4s will be required to develop a storm water management program that implements six minimum measures, which focus on a Best Management Practice (BMP) approach. The BMPs chosen by the MS4 must significantly reduce pollutants in urban storm water compared to existing levels in a cost-effective manner.
On December 8, 1999, USEPA promulgated the expansion of the existing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Storm Water Program by designating additional sources of storm water for regulation to protect water quality. This fact sheet will cover who will be affected by these regulations. All affected entities, unless otherwise specified, are required to obtain permit coverage by March 10, 2003. The regulation affects four categories of storm water dischargers, including two classes of facilities for automatic coverage on a nationwide basis: small municipalities and small construction sites.
The City of Tipp City public works and engineering staff continue to attend meetings and education conferences sponsored by The Miami Conservancy district and the Ohio EPA to help provide proper assistance to our community in understanding the regulatory climate in Ohio and in developing a suitable stormwater program.
- Public Education and Outreach Program on the impacts of storm water on surface water and possible steps to reduce storm water pollution. The program must be targeted at both the general community and commercial, industrial and institutional dischargers.
- Public Involvement and Participation in developing and implementing the Storm Water Management Plan.
- Elimination of Illicit Discharges to the MS4.
- Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Ordinance that requires the use of appropriate BMPs, pre-construction review of Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWP3s), site inspections during construction for compliance with the SWP3, and penalties for non-compliance.
- Post-Construction Storm Water Management Ordinance that requires the implementation of structural and non-structural BMPs within new development and redevelopment areas, including assurances of the long-term operation of these BMPs.
- Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for municipal operations such as efforts to reduce storm water pollution from the maintenance of open space, parks and vehicle fleets.
To satisfy the required six minimum control measures, the City of Tipp City has and will be doing several activities over the course of the next few years:
- Expanding existing services such as street sweeping, catch basin inspections and cleaning
- Partnering with the Miami Conservancy District to do public education through printings, public television ads.
- Mapping the stormwater system.
- Locating properties discharging home septic systems.
- Performing routine inspections on all construction sites.
USEPA clearly endorses a watershed approach to storm water management as well as preventative measures such as policies and ordinances that:
- Protect sensitive areas such as wetlands and riparian areas,
- Minimize imperviousness,
- Maintain open space, and/or
- Minimize the disturbance of soils and vegetation.