Lakeville reviews expanded stormwater bylaw to meet MS4 permit; select board eyed as enforcement authority

Lakeville officials and consultants reviewed a proposed overhaul of the town’s stormwater bylaw intended to satisfy Massachusetts MS4 permit requirements and add post‑construction runoff controls.

The revisions, drafted by consultants and reviewed by SERPed, add definitions for nature‑based solutions and green infrastructure and would create a permit structure for stormwater projects, possible permit fees, and a mechanism for third‑party peer review using a G.L. 53G account. “The black text is … the consultant template adapted for the town,” said Sarah, a SERPed reviewer, describing the draft provided to the board. The consultants said the revised bylaw is meant to tighten on‑site treatment and to prevent any new discharges into the municipal stormwater system.

Why it matters: The MS4 permit requires towns to limit illicit discharges and control stormwater from development; a new, broader bylaw would give the town a permitting process and clearer enforcement path. The draft also anticipates pending changes to the statewide MS4 permit and adds best‑practice language recommended by reviewers, including Mass Audubon’s bylaw review rubric.

Most substantive points: The consultants and staff discussed who should be the town’s stormwater authority and how enforcement and review would work. Options raised included having the Select Board (or the Select Board’s designee) serve as the authority with a designated stormwater agent (for example, the building commissioner), assigning the responsibility to an existing board such as the Planning Board or Conservation Commission, or contracting a third‑party reviewer paid from a…