Hyde Park board advances MS4 stormwater plan, schedules public hearing

Town staff briefed the Hyde Park Town Board on June 8 on the draft MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) storm water management program manual and the board approved a resolution to schedule a public hearing on the plan.

The draft manual outlines the town's approach to meeting the six minimum control measures required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC): public education and outreach; public involvement and participation; illicit discharge detection and elimination; construction site runoff control; post‑construction storm water management; and pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations.

Staff noted several outstanding implementation items: Dutchess County Soil and Water is producing a catch‑basin inventory and mapping layers the town will integrate, the town needs compatible GIS/tablet tools for field inspections, and recordkeeping for post‑construction storm‑water facilities requires follow‑up. The presenter said the manual has appendices with inspection forms and that the scanned draft would be made available online and at the clerk's office.

Town engineer Pete Teros and staff member Tad described procedural steps: once the county mapping is received the town will set inspection schedules and document maintenance requirements; the town may hire part‑time support to handle program administration rather than relying on expensive external engineering hourly work. Board members flagged audit history with DEC and stressed meeting the minimum permit obligations while preparing to pursue MS4 grant opportunities to fund items such as vehicle wash bays and other municipal BMPs.

The board approved a resolution to set a public hearing on the MS4 storm water management program plan so residents can review the draft manual and provide comment before final adoption.