State permit changes delayed; new MS4 rules may increase inspections and reporting

At the Westtown supervisors workshop, Cedarville consultant Sam Mosley said the state Department of Environmental Protection received extensive public comment on a proposed update to the MS4 permit and delayed the rulemaking. "They received quite a bit of pushback, and they keep revising it," Mosley said, adding that the state has not published a new implementation date and that the earliest realistic start is likely 2027.

Mosley warned the new permit will raise administrative and inspection demands: outfall screening may move from a once-every-five-year cycle to more frequent, possibly annual checks for priority outfalls, and municipalities will likely need new assessment documents submitted with the annual report. "We're gonna have to have more outfall inspections with the increase of annual inspections," he said, and towns will need memoranda of understanding with conservation districts to clarify inspection and construction responsibilities.