Stormwater management is regulated by the Federal Clean Water Act. Portions of the requirements of the act are administered under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) program.
The state agency requires that any municipality with a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permit must implement a “pollution reduction plan” and “best management practices.” As part of the 2018 MS4 permit, Wright Township is faced with new unfunded mandates, requiring a considerable investment over the five-year permit cycle than ever before to improve water quality – in both local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
The Public works department has completed a mapping of stormwater infrastructure for use in developing the Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plan. Using hand-held GPS devices on loan from Borton-Lawson, township crews have identified swales, stormwater inlets, outfalls, stormwater retention basins and piping in each of their communities.
The next steps, required by 2018 permit process, include Implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) by 2023 to reduce sediment pollution from each municipality by 10 percent, phosphorus by 5 percent, and nitrogen by 3 percent as well as to reduce pollution in the drainage area of impaired waterways in each municipality. Municipalities which are designated as MS4 Permit holders are required to complete all aspects of the permit, unless delegated to another responsible entity, such as a municipal authority.
Story Map Shares Tips, Benefits of Improving Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The state Department of Environmental Protection has released a new story map, Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities, an educational site that shares the importance of reducing nutrient and sediment runoff and shows the benefit of improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The new site contains resources for municipalities, farmers, businesses, and more while also highlighting successes, such as a park project in Jackson Township, York County, and an inter-municipal stormwater effort in Blair County. Click below to view the story map.