Stormwater Management

The City of Barberton Stormwater Department works daily to meet the Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies (OEPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

Questions should be directed to the Stormwater Manager at 330-861-7298.

NPDES Permit Requirements

The NPDES is a permitting mechanism that requires the completion of 6 minimum control measures (MCM) designed to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed by stormwater runoff into local water bodies.

Control Measure 1

Public Education and Outreach

Control Measure 2

Public Involvement and Participation

Control Measure 3

Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

Control Measure 4

Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control

Control Measure 5

Post-Construction Storm Water Management in New Development and Redevelopment

Control Measure 6

Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations

Clean Water Act

NPDES is mandated by congress under the Clean Water Act (CWA.) It is a two-phased national program for addressing the non-agricultural sources of stormwater discharges which adversely affect the quality of our nations waters. Phase I was created in 1990 for large communities over 100,000 people. Phase II was created in 2003 for medium to small communities. Barberton is a Phase II community.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the number one source of surface water pollution is caused by stormwater runoff, causing nearly 40% of pollution is US water bodies.

Construction

The regulation applies to all parcels used or being developed, either wholly or partially, for new or relocated projects involving highways and roads; subdivisions or larger common plans of development; industrial, commercial, institutional, or residential projects; building activities on farms; redevelopment activities; grading; and all other uses that are not exempted.

Floodplain Permit
A Floodplain Permit is required for all construction partially or wholly within the 100-year Special Hazard Flood Area (SFHA). The Barberton Development Code and Barberton Floodplain Ordinance covers construction that are in the SFHA.

Riparian Setback
Construction of any kind, road ways, driveways, motorized vehicles and/or parking lots are specifically prohibited in the riparian setback.

Where the 100-year floodplain is wider than the Riparian Setback on either or both sides of the stream, the Riparian Setback shall be extended to the outer edge of the 100-year floodplain. A variance to build will be required.

No variance shall be granted for the following structures:

  • Facilities that use, store, distribute, or sell petroleum-based products or any hazardous materials.
  • Facilities which use, store, distribute, or sell products which may contribute higher than acceptable concentrations of dissolved or particulate matter to stormwater runoff around the facility.

Construction Under One Acre
A Stormwater Permit is required for all development and redevelopment in the City. Projects having less than one acre of disturbance do not need a Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan or involvement with the Summit Soil & Water Conservation District.

A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWP3) will is required.

Construction Over One Acre
A Stormwater Permit is required for all development and re-development in the City. A Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan prepared by a licensed Ohio Professional Engineer is required for both construction and post-construction stormwater management. Stormwater improvements will be per Barberton’s “COMPREHENSIVE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT” Ordinance 172-2008 and “EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL REGULATION Ordinance 147-2003.

A SWP3 is required and must be reviewed and approved by the Summit Soil & Water Conservation District. Construction over five acres or part of a larger common plan of development (A contiguous area where multiple separate and distinct construction activities may be taking place at different times on different schedules under one plan) will be required to be review by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Ordinances

More Information
Please call 330-861-7298 for information on stormwater construction permit fees.

Education & Outreach

The City of Barberton is required to implement a public education program that distributes educational materials to the community about the impacts of stormwater discharges on water bodies and the steps the public can take to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff. Summit Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) assists Barberton with our education program. The city hands out information in the city building, continually updates the website, has displays at local festivals, supports stormwater billboards, does presentations to schools and so much more to education everyone on the importance of stormwater!

Continue reading to find out more about stormwater and what you can do to increase not only our water quality, but how you can impact the world’s water quality!

A Timeline of Human Water Use

  • 12,000 years ago: hunter-gatherers continually return to fertile river valleys
  • 7,000 years ago: water shortages spur humans to invent irrigation
  • 1,100 years ago: collapse of Mayan civilization due to drought
  • Mid 1800’s: fecal contamination of surface water causes severe health problems (typhoid, cholera) in some major North American cities, notably Chicago
  • 1858: “Year of the Great Stink” in London, due to sewage and wastes in Thames
  • Late 1800s-early 1900: Dams became popular as a water management tool
  • 1900s: The green revolution strengthens human dependency on irrigation for agriculture
  • World War II: water quality impacted by industrial and agricultural chemicals
  • 1972: Clean Water Act passed; humans recognize need to protect water

“Human Appropriation of the World’s Fresh Water Supply.” Human Appropriation of the World’s Fresh Water Supply. University of Michigan, 4 January 2006. Web. 2 December 2013.

Get Involved with Stormwater

The City of Barberton is required to have a minimum of five public involvement actives over a permit term.

Barberton’s past events have included; Ohio and Erie Tow Path and Canal Cleanups, rain barrel auctions, photography contest, big tree contest, rain barrel workshops, rain barrel auction, storm drain labeling, and native plant, tree and fish sales.

Suggestions & More Information
If you have a suggestion of a program the city can sponsor, or would like more information on how to help, please call 330-861-7298.

Good Housekeeping

Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping is an internal program for the city.

Good Housekeeping
Good housekeeping means that we as a city must take measures so that we do not contribute to stormwater pollution during everyday operations. These measures are call Best Management Practices, or BMPs.

All employees that work in our municipal garages have been through training to explain BMPs. These include simple things such as using a drip pan under leaking vehicles, not working on vehicles outdoors, not using storm drains for waste disposal, washing vehicles in designated wash area and much more.

Polution Prevention Program

A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) has also been created for our garages. The SWPPP simply states all the BMPs and when to use them.

Garages are inspected quarterly and outfalls draining the property are sampled quarterly to ensure all BMPs used are effective.

Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination

The City of Barberton is required to implement and enforce a program to detect and eliminate illicit discharges.

Please call Caroline Crawford at 330-861-7298 to report illicit discharges and connections.

Illicit Discharge
An illicit discharge is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as any discharge into to a storm sewer system that is not composed entirely of rain water. Illicit discharges occur when pollutants are directly poured into a storm sewer, ditch or stream, as well as when pollutants are picked up by rain water and carried to stormwater infrastructure. Please see our Illicit Discharge Ordinance, section six (6) for exceptions.

Examples of Illicit Discharges:

  • Connections from washing machines, dishwasher, toilets, floor drains, or sinks
  • Paint, cleaners, or chemicals
  • Overflowing sanitary sewers
  • Leaking septic tanks and failing septic tanks
  • Oil, gas and car fluids
  • Cooking oil and grease
  • Litter and illegal dumping

An example of illicit discharge seen in the Tuscarawas River.

Illicit Connections
When a sanitary lateral is connected to the stormwater sewer pipe, it is called an illicit connection. These are problems because stormwater is not treated before going to our water.

How We Find Illicit Connections
There are 105 outfalls in Barberton. Every year the Summit County Health Department will dry weather screen a number of our outfalls. Dry weather screening is performed when there has been at least 48 hours without rainfall. If flow is observed from the outfall during dry weather screening, it will be sampled and taken to a lab for analysis.

Once a dry weather flow has been determined to be an illicit discharge, the next step is to work ”upstream” from the location of the outfall – that is moving up the drainage system to the first manhole. The manhole is checked to see if there is evidence of flow. If flow is observed, a sample is taken and we move to the next manhole upstream. We continue until little or no flow is observed.

For more information on the City of Barberton’s Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination Program, see Ordinance 208-2012.

Post-Construction