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Milton staff report improving water quality and flag stormwater infrastructure needs
Summary
City engineer Scott Tecoch updated the council on the MS4 stormwater permit (2023–2028), outlined six minimum control measures and 35 BMPs, reported improving water‑quality indicators in Cooper/Sandy Creek, and flagged a major Providence Lake culvert replacement as a near‑term capital need.
City engineer Scott Tecoch briefed the Milton City Council on the city's MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer) annual reporting obligations under the Georgia EPD permit and summarized staff work to meet regulatory requirements.
"I will provide an overview of the regulatory requirements of the permit, what's in it, how staff is meeting the requirements of the permit," Tecoch said, before outlining the six minimum control measures (public outreach, public involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction runoff controls, post‑construction runoff controls, and pollution prevention/good housekeeping) and the 35 best management practices Milton is implementing.
Tecoch said recent testing in Cooper/Sandy Creek shows improving habitat and water‑quality indicators (for example, total suspended solids measures) over the last two years, except for spikes associated with heavy rainfall. He described an MOU with Fulton County for biological monitoring and emphasized the need for updated inspection, maintenance and inventory programs for stormwater infrastructure.
On capital needs, Tecoch highlighted Providence Lake culvert replacement, noting engineering costs of roughly $50,000 plus survey expenses and the likelihood the council will be asked for a construction contract once design is complete. He also told the council the city is bundling seven smaller drainage locations into a single contract and that much of Milton's stormwater infrastructure was built to earlier county standards and is near the end of its service life.
"Our stormwater infrastructure is basically at the end of its service life," Tecoch said, adding staff may bring a proposal in the future to study a stormwater utility to generate dedicated funding for these needs.
Councilors asked technical and policy questions about the permit's SOPs, the difference between general and individual permits, permitting timelines, and how the city enforces illicit discharge detection and elimination. Tecoch said staff completed required ordinance reviews, updated SOPs and training, and plan to pursue certification training for erosion and sediment control later in December.
The presentation closed with staff offering to return with specific project costs and timelines when design is complete for the Providence Lake culvert and other prioritized drainage projects.
