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Fostoria official outlines MS4 stormwater permit requirements; council holds first readings for related ordinances
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Jamieson Botemer briefed council on municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) obligations; council introduced three new stormwater ordinances (first readings) and amendments to two existing chapters to meet state and federal permit requirements and a June 30 compliance timeline.
Jamieson Botemer, assistant superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant, told the council that the city must adopt ordinances and implement plans to comply with its MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) permit. Botemer said the city is designated a Phase 2 community and must establish local ordinances, inspection and monitoring procedures, and stormwater protection plans.
"MS 4, which is the municipal separate storm, sewer system," Botemer said, explaining that the ordinances give the city "the teeth" to regulate construction and post-construction stormwater controls. He said the permit and associated plans affect several city sites, including the street garage, compost pile and airport, and that different departments will share implementation responsibilities.
Council held first readings for three new ordinances: a chapter on illicit discharge and illegal connection control (new chapter 9.46), an erosion and sediment control chapter (new chapter 9.47), and a comprehensive stormwater management chapter (new chapter 9.48). Council also heard first readings for amendments to chapters 1163 and 1164 to reference the new stormwater chapter.
Botemer said the city's system is mixed: about 69% of the sewer network is combined and 31% is separated; the MS4 ordinances apply only to the separated storm sewer system. He told the council the state reviewed Fostoria and reported violations; staff submitted a plan to fix the items and set a target to complete the corrective work by June 30. "We sent them out a report of the violations of how we wanna fix all of them and have it done by June 30," Botemer said.
Botemer said staff has provided training to multiple departments and will conduct public outreach as part of the ordinance implementation. He acknowledged the city needs additional staff and will draw on engineering and outside resources for special projects to prepare required plans.
All of the stormwater ordinances were read for the first time; no final votes were taken. Council did not adopt the ordinances at the meeting; further committee work and follow-up were indicated.
