Pleasant Grove adopts stormwater code changes after state audit, requires permit closeouts and Rational Method for runoff

Pleasant Grove City Council on Oct. 7 unanimously adopted Ordinance 2025-025 to amend city stormwater code and site-plan requirements as part of the city’s response to a Utah Division of Water Quality audit.

Public Works Director Neil Winterton and staff member Baylor Hatch presented the changes, which staff said respond to roughly 84 audit items identified in a November 2024 audit by the Division of Water Quality. The ordinance amends Title 8, Chapter 6 (stormwater) and Title 11 site-plan requirements to (1) describe permitted discharges, (2) require applicants to file and close an online state land-disturbance permit, and (3) specify the Rational Method as the engineering approach for runoff calculations.

Winterton said the state had noted that applicants were sometimes filing the required online permits but not closing them when work completed; the new code language requires both application and formal closeout. "There's three main things that they wanted to see, and that was permitted discharges ... the requirement for filling out an online permit for the state and not only filling it out and applying for it, but closing it out," Winterton said.

Baylor Hatch was singled out by Winterton for leading the effort to address the audit. Council members asked whether the city would be taking on enforcement responsibility; staff confirmed the city is responsible for enforcing the ordinance and related permit requirements. Winterton said the city had already submitted the language to the state and that this ordinance is the first of several items to complete the audit response; staff indicated a mid-November deadline from the state to finish remaining items.

Council Member Jensen moved to approve the ordinance; Council Member Limon seconded. A roll-call vote recorded unanimous approval.