Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Ms4 Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears warning on upcoming EPA MS4 stormwater requirements; city says $2.5 million grant will start work
Summary
Councilor Tassoni cautioned that reduced professional services funding could hamper compliance with a forthcoming EPA MS4 stormwater permit; Mayor Nicholson said the city recently received about $2.5 million from the Commonwealth (passed through MassDEP from the Long Island Sound settlement) to begin necessary upgrades.
At an informal Gardner City Council budget session June 9, Councilor Tassoni warned that the city may face mandatory municipal stormwater retrofits under the federal MS4 permit and urged funding for professional services; the mayor responded that the city has received about $2.5 million in state pass-through funds to begin that work.
Tassoni told councilors the engineering department’s professional-services line was cut from $18,000 to $15,000 compared with FY25 and said the additional money would fund “mandatory stormwater treatment improvement” design and installation once the EPA MS4 permit is finalized. “That permit is still in draft at the EPA, but once it's finalized, we'll have 90 days to submit a new notice of intent,” Tassoni said, describing a requirement to phase retrofits at municipal facilities.
Mayor Nicholson said the city has already begun planning a phased approach and reported recent grant funding. “The city did just receive $2,500,000 about 2 weeks ago from the Commonwealth to begin some of that work,” he said, explaining the grant was a MassDEP pass-through from the Long Island Sound settlement. The mayor added that engineering consultants (named in the meeting as Tata & Howard and the city’s on-call contractors) were helping to craft a multi-year execution plan.
Why it matters: MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permits set minimum federal standards for stormwater discharges and can require municipalities to design and implement structural and nonstructural controls to remove pollutants such as nitrogen from runoff. Councilors heard that the city must plan for recurring retrofits and that some communities are considering stormwater enterprise accounts or user fees to fund the work.
Questions remained about timing and scope. Tassoni and other councilors urged the administration to phase work, and the mayor’s office said it would coordinate with consultants and provide a more detailed plan. Councilor Kozitskis asked whether the grant application came through MassDEP; the mayor confirmed it was a pass-through resulting from the Long Island Sound settlement.
Discussion vs. direction vs. decision: The meeting recorded discussion and an administration announcement of grant funding; there was no formal council vote, ordinance, or commitment to a new fee. Councilors expressed concern about long-term funding approaches (enterprise accounts or fees) but did not direct staff to adopt a specific funding mechanism at this meeting.
Clarifying details recorded included the engineering request to fund design/installation of retrofits, the reduction in professional services from $18,000 to $15,000 in the draft budget, the mayor’s statement that $2.5 million had been received as a Commonwealth pass-through via MassDEP, and the administration’s intent to phase improvements with consultant support (Tata & Howard).
