Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Ms4 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves including Spotsylvania public schools in county MS4 permit, conditions MOU
Summary
The Board voted 5–0 to include the Spotsylvania County Public School system in the county's newly required MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer) registration, conditioned on a memorandum of understanding describing roles, reporting and financial responsibilities.
The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to include the Spotsylvania County Public School system under the county’s municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) registration as required by state DEQ rules for designated urbanized areas.
Staff presented a technical overview of the county’s new MS4 designation, explained permit requirements and the timetable for registration and reporting, and recommended including the school system in the county’s registration statement. The registration statement must be submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality by the July filing deadline. County staff said roughly half of school properties fall inside the current MS4 boundary (the northern/eastern urbanized pockets shown on the 2020-census–based map) and that including schools would allow a unified program approach for public education, outreach and annual reporting.
The MS4 permit requires the county to create and carry out a program plan that addresses the six minimum control measures: public education and outreach; public involvement and participation; illicit discharge detection and elimination; construction site runoff control; post-construction stormwater management; and pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations. Staff described a phased compliance schedule that requires an initial program plan in year 1, outfall mapping by year 2 and development of TMDL action plans by year 5. Annual monitoring and reporting obligations will begin in the first reporting year.
Supervisors asked questions about staffing, costs and the need for a clear division of responsibility between county and schools. Staff said county stormwater work will require additional inspectors and that the school system already uses third-party contractors for some work. To define operational and financial responsibilities, the board conditioned approval on the school division entering a memorandum of understanding (MOU) spelling out inspection, maintenance, reporting and cost-sharing obligations. Staff noted the board could revisit the inclusion later if the MOU proved unworkable.
The motion approved by the board directed staff to submit the county’s registration statement including the public schools, provided the schools enter an MOU; the motion passed 5–0.
