Why is
storm water runoff so important for Colonial Heights?
The term stormwater - and
programs designed around decreasing its effects - is
really just a label on a very simple occurrence. As
storm water runoff flows over impervious and other
hardened or disturbed surfaces like streets,
parking lots, driveways, rooftops and construction and
grading sites it picks up trash and debris, chemicals,
sediment and pollutants and carries them into Swift
Creek, the Appomattox
 River, local ponds, lakes and
streams by way of various runoff areas and by way of the
City’s storm sewer system. These waters and pollutants and the toxins they contain adversely
affect the water quality, increase peak storm water
flow rates, cause erosion and further deteriorate the health
of these waters. In other words, many of the results of
our daily activities across the City ultimately end up
as various forms of pollution in the waters we fish,
swim, boat in, get our drinking water from and use for all sorts of recreation. A
concern for storm water, then, is really just a simple
notion: caring for and taking steps to protect the
waters we use every day.In
addition to these, there are many other reasons why storm
water and its effects are a concern for Colonial
Heights. A commitment to controlling and improving storm
water runoff can help:
… with mosquito control
… to control flooding
… improve customer service and
reduce flooding-related incidents
… protect property values
… reduce long-term capitol
costs through proactive maintenance
Colonial
Heights Stormwater Management Program:
Purpose
The
City’s Stormwater Management Program was established citywide to address the design, development,
improvement, operation, inspection, maintenance and
oversight of the City’s storm water runoff. The program
is administered through the City’s Department of Public
Works.
Background
and Authority
As the population of the City grows,
federal
and state lawdemand
that certain criteria concerning the quality and
quantity of the City’s storm water runoff must be met.
Colonial Heights is located within the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
and the Commonwealth of Virginia requires stormwater
discharge permits in those areas under the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II
requirements. Control of the quality and quantity of the
runoff is essential to the overall health of City
residents and the City and State’s natural resources.
  The
Stormwater Management Plan is designed to comply with
the
six minimum control measuresoutlined
in Commonwealth of Virginia regulations. In addition, the plan
will help the City meet the following goals:
-
ensure that the
system performs to protect water quality by
preventing the introduction of pollutants to the
maximum extent practicable;
-
maintain the
stormwater system to prevent localized flooding
to the maximum extent practicable;
-
include stormwater
maintenance activities such as routine
inspections, cleaning, and remedial and
preventive repairs;
-
provide a process
by which the City’s stormwater system
performance can be tracked, maintained and
improved when practicable;
-
mitigate storm
water impact on the ecology of natural stream
channels to the maximum extent practicable; and
-
implement the
program citywide by providing equitable levels
of service and enforcement across the City.
Stormwater Permit
The City of Colonial Heights, as required
by law, holds a
General Permit
for Discharges of Stormwater from small Municipal
Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) that became
effective in December of 2002. This permit remains
effective for five years, subject to
annual reports
and reviews by Virginia’s Department of Conservation and
Recreation. This permit, per the City’s
performance measures within the
Stormwater Management
Program, is subject to reissue at the elapse of each 5
year term. The
City’s current permit, reissued in 2008,
is effective through 2013.
What Can I Do To Help?
Storm water does, and has, affected the
streams and
waterways
in Colonial Heights.
The Appomattox, as well as several of the area's creeks,
has been found to have unhealthy levels of certain
bacteria. As each of our homes and properties
alter the quality of storm water, there are things that
each of us can do to help lessen the toxins and
pollutants that end up in our drinking, fishing and
recreational waters.
While this page will regularly feature information that
each of us can use to help decrease the amount of debris
and pollutants that end up in our local waters, some of the things we can easily do to help
are . . .
ü DO NOT Litter
ü
Collect_my_pet’s_waste
ü Properly_dispose_of_my_automobile's_used_oil,_fluids
and_other_hazardous_wastes
ü Alter my use of fertilizers and pesticides
ü Think like a rain drop
ü Report
illegal dumping and polluted activities
|
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
