Eye on the Environment: Hilliard residents may provide feedback on Stormwater Management Program
As part of the city of Hilliard’s compliance with the Clean Water Act and its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the city is updating its Stormwater Management Program.
The overall goal of the SWMP is to improve the quality of surface water features within the city by reducing stormwater runoff pollution. This permit process occurs every five years and is being led by city project engineer Jeff Cox with assistance from local, multidisciplined consulting firm EMH&T.
Hilliard’s NPDES permit authorizes stormwater discharges from the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, into state waters. The MS4 is a conveyance or system of conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, constructed channels or storm drains) that are owned or operated by the municipality or designed or used for collecting or conveying solely storm water.
With a population of fewer than 100,000 residents, Hilliard operates under the Ohio EPA small NPDES general permit. The general permit entails developing, implementing and enforcing a SWMP designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the small MS4 to the maximum extent possible. The city incorporated best-management practices within the SWMP to address six minimum controls measures:
• MCM 1 – Public education and outreach
• MCM 2 – Public involvement/participation
• MCM 3 – Illicit discharge detection and elimination
• MCM 4 – Construction site stormwater runoff control
• MCM 5 – Post-construction stormwater management
• MCM 6 – Pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operation
In addition, and where applicable, best-management practices are selected to address U.S. EPA-approved total maximum daily load – or TMDL, for short – recommendations for identified water-quality problems associated with MS4 discharges within the city’s MS4 watersheds. TMDLs identify and evaluate water-quality problems in impaired water bodies and propose solutions to bring those waters into attainment.
Hilliard is within the Scioto River and Big Darby Creek watersheds. A TMDL for the Big Darby Creek watershed has been established that identifies total phosphorus and the bacterium E. coli as TMDL pollutants. Total phosphorus sources include the over-application of fertilizer and stormwater runoff over impervious surfaces. E. coli comes from failing home sewage-treatment systems, broken sanitary sewers and lack of pet-waste management.
Each of the six MCMs will be updated as part of the city’s permit renewal, most notably the use of social media to inform and educate residents on SWMP updates, workshops and public programs, community cleanup events, inspections and service department staff training.
The proposed Hilliard SWMP is posted on the city’s website at hilliardohio.gov/were-listening-city-seeks-feedback-on-stormwater-quality-management-program.
Read more: Stormwater Management Program
Residents are encouraged to read through the SWMP document and provide feedback by 5 p.m. Feb. 18.
Greg Smith is a member of the Hilliard Environmental Sustainability Commission.
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Eye on the Environment: Hilliard residents may provide feedback on Stormwater Management Program
