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Tuesday, 31 March 2009 |
Bryant aldermen went on record Monday night as making water quality in the city a top priority.
In a special City Council meeting, aldermen unanimously approved more in-depth involvement in the city’s Stormwater Management Program, which is aimed at protecting water quality.
Richard Penn, the city’s public works director, told the aldermen that this program is about “stormwater quality, not quantity” and that he wants to “redirect you to another aspect of stormwater.”
He said the city has actually has had a stormwater management program for five years, noting that this is mandated by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Penn also said the version the city would be considering has already been formed in Hot Springs, Maumelle, and Garland and Pulaski counties.
The adoption of new language for the program is necessary, Penn said, because the current program permit expired Feb. 1 and the city needs to ensure its compliance with federal regulations. He said the program book provided to the council has been reviewed by FTN and Associates of Little Rock and is ready for adoption.
According to the introduction, the stormwater program “is a comprehensive program to manage the quality of stormwater from the municipal separate storm sewer system. Polluted storm water runoff is often transported to municipal separate storm sewer systems and ultimately discharged into local rivers and streams without treatment. EPA’s stormwater phase II rule establishes a SWMP that is intended to improve the nation’s waterways by reducing the quantity of pollutants that stormwater picks up and carries into storm sewer systems ... common pollutants include oil and grease from roadways, pesticides from lawns, sediment from construction sites, and carelessly discarded trash, such as cigarette butts, paper wrappers and plastic bottles ... contaminating drinking water supplies and interfering with the habitat for fish, other aquatic organisms and wildlife.”
The SWMP listed six minimum control measures:
•Public education and outreach — Distributing educational materials and performing outreach to inform citizens about the impacts polluted stormwater runoff discharges can have on water quality. Penn said the city could even produce pamphlets or fliers that can possibly be put inside residents’ water bills.
•Public participation and involvement — Providing opportunities for citizens to participate in program development and implementation, including effectively publicizing public hearings and/or encouraging citizen representatives on an SWMP panel.
•Illicit discharge detection and elimination — Developing and implementing a plan to detect and eliminate illicit discharges to the storm sewer system (includes developing a system map and informing the community about hazards associated with illegal discharges and improper disposal of waste).
•Construction site runoff control — Developing, implementing and enforcing an erosion and sediment control program for construction activities that disturb phase 1 or more acres of land (controls could include for example, silt fences and temporary storm water detention ponds).
•Post-construction runoff control — Developing, implementing and enforcing a program to address discharges of post-construction stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment areas. Applicable control could include preventative actions such as protecting sensitive areas or the use of structural best management practices such as grassed swales or porous pavement.
•Pollution prevention/good housekeeping — Developing and implementing a program with the goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operations. The program must include municipal staff training on pollution prevention measures and techniques (regular street sweeping, reduction in the use of pesticides or street salt, or frequent catch-basin cleaning).
Penn said the city council will be updated annually on the status of the SWMP and hopes not only city officials will see steady progress, but also with the ADEQ. He said any complaints sent to the ADEQ would come back to his department for an investigation and the ADEQ could cite or fine a person for pollution. Penn said Bryant already has ordinances in which people could face fines for polluting, but this document lists offenses more specifically.
Alderman Ken Green said the new stormwater management program will be taking more of an area or regional approach to keeping waterways free of pollutants. Alderman Steve Gladden also said Bryant needs to ensure the city meets EPA and ADEQ regulations.
“We aren’t behind in regulations,” Gladden said, “but we are getting there, so we need to get this going.”
Penn said after the council approves the SWMP, it will go to the ADEQ for approval.
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