Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears first reading to require covered, impervious salt storage under MS4 permit
Summary
City staff presented a first reading to amend City Code 406 to require designated salt-storage areas at commercial and institutional sites to be covered or indoors, located on impervious surfaces, and use transfer protections — a step required by the MS4 general permit and intended to reduce chloride pollution.
Miss Talon presented the ordinance amendment as a first reading, outlining that as an MS4 permittee White Bear Lake must meet Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requirements related to chloride and stormwater. She said the MPCA's updated permit cycle added a requirement that regulated entities adopt a local regulatory mechanism for proper salt storage at commercial, institutional, and non-NPDES-permitted industrial facilities.
Talon summarized the proposed minimum requirements staff placed in the memo and on the screen: designated salt-storage areas must (1) be covered or indoors, (2) be located on an impervious surface, and (3) implement transfer protections (sweeping, diversion, containment) to reduce exposure during handling and transfer. She said the language mirrors the minimum requirements in the MPCA MS4 permit and noted the city's own Public Works storage follows those practices.
Council members asked whether the city maintains a list or database of businesses that might be affected; Talon and Public Works staff said the city does not currently have such a database and would rely on education and visual identification and would follow up if issues are found. Talon asked the council for direction on any language changes before the scheduled second reading on August 25.
Why it matters: the proposed code change is a local implementation step tied to state-administered federal MS4 permit obligations aimed at reducing chloride pollution in surface and ground waters. It affects commercial and institutional operations that use bulk salt outdoors and could require modest changes in storage practices or containment for a subset of businesses.
Sources: staff presentation by Miss Talon and follow-up Q&A with council members and Public Works staff.
