Middlesex County staff seek endorsement of six MS4 stormwater resolutions; motions recorded for litter and yard‑waste rules

Anna Bar McElnacorra, senior resilience planner in the Middlesex County Office of Planning, told the board the MS4 program governs stormwater runoff from rain and snow and that the county holds two MS4 permits—R11 (public complexes) and R12 (highway agencies)—enforced by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "MS4" she said, "stands for Municipal separate storm sewer system."

The resolutions before the board update six existing planning-board resolutions from 2006 and align county department names, enforcement roles and definitions with New Jersey DEP template language. McElnacorra said the permits cover county roads, facilities, parks and correctional centers and listed county infrastructure covered under the permits: 9,209 county inlets, 30 county-owned basins and 59 potential county-owned outfalls. She said inspections of MS4 facilities are ongoing.

Staff described specific edits: the illicit-connections resolution adds or revises purpose language and definitions (including a definition for "person"); pet-waste language was updated to allow county-resolution enforcement in some circumstances and to add the Office of Health Services inspections division where municipal ordinances designate that authority; litter-control and improper-disposal language were updated using DEP templates to add standard definitions and enforcement responsibilities; and the vegetative/yard-waste resolution was revised to implement best-management practices for roadside vegetation and to add reporting responsibilities. Transcript text indicates a fines update tied to an internal resolution reference (resolution 231757 R) and a figure near $102,100; the available segment language is unclear about whether that number is a maximum fine or a consolidated numeric update, so the specific penalty amount is not stated as final here.

During questions, board members and staff clarified permit scope: R11 applies to the adult corrections facility while R12 covers county roads, maintenance yards and associated parts/maintenance facilities; monthly inspections of maintenance yards and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SP3) requirements were described. At least two resolutions were moved and seconded on the record: a motion to adopt the litter-control resolution (listed in the agenda as Resolution 2025-10) was moved by Laurie Sobel and seconded (second recorded by another member), and a motion to adopt the vegetative-waste collection and disposal program (Resolution 2025-12) was moved and seconded on the record. The transcript shows motions and seconds but does not include a roll-call vote or a formal, recorded outcome in the provided segments.

The staff presentation noted digital improvements—asset management and GIS—would help with documentation, maintenance and implementation of the MS4 program if the board endorses the updated resolutions.

Next steps: staff requested board endorsement for the six updated resolutions; the transcripted segments here record motions for two items but do not record final vote tallies or adoption of all six resolutions in the provided excerpt.