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Village hears NPDES Phase 2 briefing on stormwater, construction controls and public outreach
Summary
HR Green engineer Logan Gilbertson briefed trustees on the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase 2 requirements, local watershed impairments (phosphorus and sediment), best management practices, illicit discharges, and new documentation requirements for public education and outreach under the updated permit.
Logan Gilbertson (PE, CFM, HR Green) presented the Village of Homer Glen’s NPDES Phase 2 obligations and local water-quality priorities during a workshop presentation May 28, 2026.
Gilbertson explained that NPDES (the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) covers municipal separate storm sewer systems and requires participating communities to implement public education, participation, illicit-discharge detection, construction-site controls, and municipal housekeeping. "The NPDES program is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System," he said, and added that everything entering the street storm drains flows untreated to local waterways.
He reviewed impaired watersheds affecting the village — the transcript lists Fitment Creek and Spring Creek as impaired by phosphorus and sediment — and noted other streams in the area without listed impairments. Gilbertson stressed common local sources: lawn fertilizers (phosphorus), construction-site sediment, and improper disposal of cooking oil, paint, and motor oil. He used photos collected while working festivals and field inspections to show typical illicit discharges and poor storage practices and recommended simple BMPs such as tarping salt piles, using silt fences and straw waddles on construction sites, and covering dumpsters.
Gilbertson also described operational steps the village has taken or should track under the new permit: greater documentation of public-education reach (web views and brochure distribution), at least one annual public meeting (which this presentation counts toward), illicit-discharge response and detection by public-works staff, and internal 'good-housekeeping' measures for village facilities. He said the EPA produced a new permit last August with increased tracking requirements and encouraged school outreach — trustees suggested presentations at schools.
Trustees asked about outreach to schools and vendors; Gilbertson said he would be "more than happy" to present at schools. The presentation emphasized preventing routine pollutants from entering the storm system and implementing practical controls at construction sites and municipal facilities.
Next steps: staff will incorporate updated documentation practices to meet permit tracking requirements and continue public-education outreach through village channels and events.
