March 13, 2010 - 03:40AM
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Stormwater Management
What is stormwater?
Stormwater is pure rainwater plus anything the rain carries along
with it. In urban areas, rain that falls on the roof of your house,
or collects on paved areas like driveways, roads and footpaths is
carried away through a system of pipes that is separate from the
sewage system. Unlike sewage, stormwater is not treated. In some
cases it's filtered through traps, usually located at the end of
the pipe system, but it still flows directly from streets and
gutters into our waterways like Hurricane Creek. Common pollutants
include litter (cigarette butts, cans, paper or plastic bags),
chemical pollution (detergents, oil or fertilizers) and 'natural'
pollution (leaves, garden clippings or animal droppings). Eventually,
the majority of our stormwater ends up in Percy Priest Lake, which
is our source for drinking water.
What are federal standards in regard to stormwater?
The City of La Vergne was one of more than 85 communities within
the State of Tennessee that was required to submit a Notice of
Intent application to the Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation for coverage under the Tennessee Phase II MS4 general
stormwater permit, as moderated by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Clean Water Act.
This program required that the City of La Vergne develop a stormwater
program which addresses water quality issues.
What is the City of La Vergne doing in regard to stormwater?
Phase II is designed to look at nonpoint pollution from all sources.
Nonpoint pollution is water that cannot be traced to source, such as
rooftops, paved roads and parking lots.
Phase II requires that the City of La Vergne meet the following six
minimum controls:
- public education and outreach
- public involvement/Participation
- illicit discharge detection
- construction site stormwater runoff control
- post-construction stormwater management in new development and re-development
- pollution prevention/good housekeeping for community operations
Funding
After a study of the overall stormwater system needs in our city
and factoring costs to implement new federal standards, the City
of La Vergne agreed that some type of funding mechanism needed to
be established.
A stormwater management fee was adopted by the Board of Mayor and
Aldermen on June 7, 2005 and appears on the monthly water bill
residents and businesses receive from the City. Only residents and
businesses in the City of La Vergne will be required to pay the fee
as the money is to be used on projects within the city's limits.
The revenue will be used exclusively for stormwater management
projects. Given the number of areas that need attention it is
expected to take several years to complete the work. Routine
stormwater maintenance is needed as well.
- Stormwater Management Fee: link
- Credit and Adjustment Policy: link
How you can help.
Avoid typical activities that can cause stormwater pollution such as:
- car washing on the street: using detergent and allowing it to run down
the street drain
- fixing your car on the street: letting oil or other substances flow into
the street drain
- disposing of garden waste: letting leaves or garden clippings accumulate
in gutters or driveways where they can end up in the street drain
- dropping litter: dropping litter where it will be swept into the street
drains next time it rains
- cleaning paint brushes: letting the contaminated water flow into the
street drain
- hosing sidewalks and patios: letting the water carry dirt, soil or other
waste into the street drains
- not picking up dog droppings: the left behind dog droppings will be
carried into the stormwater system next time it rains. (Imagine the cumulative
effect this would have on the city waterways if you account for all the dogs
in your neighborhood.)
Attend Storm Water Public Meetings
- Storm Water Appeals and Advisory Board meets once a year unless
otherwise needed.
Links
More information about stormwater can be found at the following sites.
- Frequently Asked Questions: link
- TDEC MS4 Page: link
- EPA Stormwater Information kids page: link
- MTSU - Center for Environmental Education: link
- Construction BMP Manual: link
- Post-Construction BMP Manual: link
- NPDES General Permit for Discharges: link
- Stormwater Management: link
- Stream Buffer Ordinance: link
- Stormwater Appeals and Advisory Board: link
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City of La Vergne disclaimer/privacy/usage terms
The City of La Vergne does not discriminate based on race, color or national origin in federal or state sponsored programs, pursuant to Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d). If you receive a Title VI complaint, please contact the Title VI coordinator, Anya Ryan, at 287-8622.
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