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Lebanon carries stormwater-ordinance hearing after county asks for changes
Summary
After review, the Township Committee carried the public hearing on a comprehensive new Stormwater Management ordinance to June 10, 2026, following a denial and requested amendments from the Hunterdon County Planning Board; the ordinance would impose Tier A stormwater standards, green infrastructure requirements, and new submission and maintenance rules for major developments.
The Lebanon Township Committee on May 13 carried (adjourned) the public hearing on Ordinance No. 05-2026, a comprehensive new Stormwater Management ordinance, after the Hunterdon County Planning Board denied the ordinance as introduced and requested changes.
Township Attorney Mark Roselli told the committee the county review board had returned the draft asking for amendments; the committee voted to adjourn the public hearing to the committee’s June 10 meeting to allow staff to incorporate the requested revisions and provide additional documentation. "Hunterdon County Planning Board denied the ordinance as introduced and requested amendments be made before the County will approve," Roselli said during the meeting.
If adopted as drafted, the ordinance would replace the township’s existing stormwater regulations and impose the stricter Tier A requirements referenced in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s municipal stormwater program. The draft ordinance—reviewed in detail at the meeting—lays out scope and applicability, detailed definitions (including "major development" and "regulated motor vehicle surface"), green-infrastructure tables for BMPs (bioretention, pervious pavement, infiltration basins, etc.), groundwater recharge and runoff-quality standards, calculation methods using NOAA Atlas 14 and county precipitation-adjustment factors, maintenance-plan requirements and deed notices for recorded stormwater facilities.
The ordinance text discussed at length includes: a requirement to meet 95% or 80% TSS removal for certain motor-vehicle surfaces depending on where runoff discharges; groundwater recharge standards aimed at maintaining 100% of average annual pre-construction recharge or infiltrating the increase in 2-year storm volume; and provisions specifying when waivers, alternatives, or offsite mitigation may be used. The draft also ties municipal projects to specific BMP tables and requires deed notices and long-term maintenance plans to be recorded with the Hunterdon County Clerk.
Committee members asked for clarifications about enforcement, maintenance responsibilities, and the interaction between township approvals and State rules. Clerk Carolynn Budd and the committee agreed to provide the additional technical and funding detail requested by members and the county prior to the June 10 hearing. The committee took no final action on the ordinance on May 13, carrying the hearing to allow time for revisions and county concurrence.
The adjourned public hearing is scheduled for the Township Committee’s June 10, 2026 meeting. The township’s review process and the county’s requested amendments will determine whether further edits or a second review cycle is needed before adoption.
