Stormwater
What the New Mandated Discharge Limits, Monitoring Requirements and Prescriptive Controls Mean for Contractors
Review of nationwide numeric discharge limits and monitoring requirements now in effect. These limits strictly enforce the turbidity of amount of sediment allowed to run off from any construction site disturbing ten or more acres of land at any one time (whether contiguous or not). The new rule, issued by the U.S. EPA in December 2009, also specifies the exact types of erosion and sediment controls that contractors must use, at a bare minimum, to control stormwater runoff on all construction sites that disturb one or more acres of land.
The C&D ELG rule took effect in February 2010 and phases in over four years. The new ELG requirements will be incorporated into all federal and state individual and general National Pollutant Discharges Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater construction permits upon their next reissuance.
NPDES Permits and Storm Water Ordinances
Contractors have a vested interest in their communities and can fully appreciate how important it is that city leaders understand the perspective of the development and construction industries when drafting environmental regulations. With this mind, many cities throughout the State of Iowa are undergoing a process of reviewing and approving compliance ordinances for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) discharge permits. MBI has been actively involved in an ongoing effort to educate local city leaders in the process of approving the construction site erosion and sediment control ordinance (COSESCO) and the post-construction ordinance required for a city’s Phase II, MS4 permit. These ordinances that certain cities are required to pass will layout the rules and regulations related to storm water discharge permits on all construction sites one acre or larger.
The Master Builders of Iowa believes this issue has the potential to have adverse impacts on our members, as well as having a chilling effect on commercial development in certain regulated area. In response, we have developed a model ordinance for the Post-Construction portions of the MS4 permits. This model ordinance meets IDNR requirements, but does not hinder a community’s ability to attract development opportunities.
For additional information on storm water permitting, please go to the following links:
