Vermilion council adopts memorandum with Erie Soil & Water to continue MS4 stormwater program

Vermilion City Council on third reading adopted Ordinance 2025-8, authorizing the mayor to enter a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Erie Soil & Water Conservation District to participate in the Erie County NPDES small MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) program, and declared the measure an emergency.

Valerie Sasek, stormwater program coordinator for the Erie Soil & Water Conservation District, told council the MS4 program traces to federal Clean Water Act rules and Ohio EPA permitting. She said the MS4 permit requires communities to carry out six “minimum control measures” over a five‑year permit term — public education, public involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site controls, post‑construction stormwater management and municipal good‑housekeeping training — and that the district’s role is to help towns meet those requirements. “Stormwater compliance is not really negotiable,” Sasek said.

Sasek described how the program is financed: participating municipalities pay into a pooled fund that receives state matching dollars. She said the state match has varied and estimated, “I believe it’s around 80 or 90,” while emphasizing the program’s multi‑year cycle and incremental fee increases to maintain capacity.

During public discussion, a resident who identified herself as Arcelyn (address provided for the record) asked how the district’s responsibilities apply to properties that lie in Lorain County as well as Erie County. Sasek said the district provides technical guidance and staff capacity to contracted communities but does not hold direct enforcement authority; when enforcement is required, the city takes the lead and the district supplies recommendations and technical findings. In one example Sasek described, the district investigated a complaint about a car wash’s disposal practices, coordinated with city staff and the EPA, and followed up to a satisfactory resolution.

The city’s ordinance package and the MOA were presented to council in the legislative committee and read at third reading. Council then voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-8 and declared an emergency so the agreement can move forward on the current permit cycle.

The vote and adoption require staff to finalize the MOA and continue the program’s public outreach, inspections and recordkeeping tasks under Ohio EPA’s small MS4 permit. The district said it will continue to provide training, site inspections support and help with permit reporting; the city will continue to be the entity that issues any formal enforcement actions when required.