Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) The Berks County Collaborative Approach

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Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4)The
Berks County Collaborative Approach

• Regional and Collaborative Approaches to Water
  Management in Pennsylvania Conference
• Presenter and Co-Chair of MS4 Steering Committee
• Dale R. Kratzer, P.E., BC.E.E.
• Spotts, Stevens and McCoy, Inc.
• dale.kratzer_at_ssmgroup.com
• Co-Chair of MS4 Steering Committee
• Shannon L. Rossman
• Berks County Planning Commission
• SRossman_at_countyofberks.com

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MS4 Recap

• Six Minimum Control Measures
• Public Education and Outreach
• Public Participation and Involvement
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
• Construction Site Runoff Control
• Post-Construction Stormwater Management
• Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping at
  Municipal Facilities

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Intergovernmental Cooperation Policy

• Working together for a better Berks County
• Berks County Planning Commission

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Regional Planning Approach
Regional Planning Agency County
Act 167 Stormwater Management Plans by Watershed
MS4 NPDES Phase II
Act 537 Sewage Facilities Planning
Water Supply Planning Comprehensive Water
Resource Plan
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Why?

• Stormwater knows no municipal borders
• Water supplies know no municipal borders
• Sewage needs know no municipal borders

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Joint Planning Efforts
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Urbanized Areas
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How We Got Started

• The environment
• Water and sewer regionalization study
• Joint comp plans
• Joint purchasing council
• Charge to look for regionalization or
  cooperation, especially where the County could
  provide leadership
• In MS4 we saw
• Redundancy if each municipality alone
• Opportunity to introduce unified stormwater
  management
• Great opportunity for intergovernmental
  cooperation

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How We Got Started

• Exploratory meetings
• Berks County
• DEP discovered Act 167 relationship
• Center for Local Government Leadership
• Create steering committee

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How Did We Get Here? Early Work

• Involve municipal engineers
• Create steering committee
• Purpose
• Membership
• Initial steering committee discussions
• Education Subcommittee
• Engineers subcommittee
• Meeting and cooperation
• Communication vehicle to the municipalities
• Analyses of activities and costs

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Analyses of Activities and Costs

• Individual Municipality
• Prepare and implement the MS4 Program
• 39,800

Cooperative Effort Prepare and implement the MS4
Program 16,500
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Analyses of Activities and Costs
Prepare and implement the MS4 Program over a 5
year period

• Individual Cooperative
• Customize ordinances 4,500 2,500
• Prepare map 4,800 1,200
• Prepare in-house education program 1,000 300
• Prepare SOP Manual 2,200 700
• Prepare public education program 1,000 1,000
• Year 1 2 Program - implementation 3,800 0
• Year 3-5 Program Implementation 5,100 0
• Prepare the MS4 NOI 2,800 1,500
• Stormwater notification appliqués 2,100 1,800
• Prepare yearly report without sampling
  data 2,500 1,500
• Prepare yearly report with sampling
  data 15,000 0
• 39,800 16,500

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Asked for Municipal Participation

• . . . and the response was . . .
• 45 of 47 municipalities
• County itself
• County Welfare Tract
• County airport authority

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MS4 Permit Application Process

• MS4 program was evolving many questions
• Someone got information, they passed it on to all
• County Planning Commission staff coordinated
  joint submission by all participants
• All permit applications of the participants
  delivered as one package
• DEP cooperation

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Anticipated Benefits

• Coordinated composite map(s)
• Reduced costs
• Coordinated, overall consistent program
• Similar Enforcement Ordinances
• Unified message
• Education
• No Conflicting Statements
• Reimbursement Aspects
• Relationship with Other Programs
• Coordinate with Act 167
• Erosion and Sedimentation Controls
• In short, much more bang for the buck

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Control Measure No. 4

• Construction Site Runoff Contract
• Berks County Conservation District (BCCD)
• Developed a memorandum of understanding that
  effectively transferred responsibility for this
  from the municipality to the BCCD

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Berks County Act 167 Schedule

• Revised Schedule
• due to MS4
• Sacony 1997
• Tulpehocken 2001
• Maiden Creek 2004
• Schuylkill River 2004
• Manatawny Creek 2006

• Original Schedule
• Sacony Creek 1997
• Tulpehocken Creek 2001
• Maiden Creek 2004
• Manatawny Creek 2006
• Schuylkill River 2009

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Cooperative Activities

• Ordinances
• Training
• Field Work
• Obstruction data for 167 studies
• Outfall data for MS4
• Public Employees
• Video through Berks County Public Works
  Association
• Next Permit Cycle
• Continued coordination
• Public Education
• Coordinated
• Consistent
• Website at BCPC
• Reminders

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)
Activities for the Reporting year March 10, 2007
to March 9, 2008 regarding Public Education and
Outreach Public Involvement and Participation,
and other MCM education and outreach.

• Watershed Plan advisory Committee Meetings (WPAC)
  All Municipal Officials, Engineers, Solicitors,
  Environmental Organizations May 15, 2007 (WPAC)
• Berks County Environmental Advisory Council
  (BCEAC)
• Maintains website for the sole purpose of
  furthering environmental education and to
  encourage greater participation in addressing
  environmental issues impacting the County of
  Berks www.co.berks.pa.us/eac/site/default.asp
• Childrens Environmental Health network
  established to address environmental health
  issues that affect Berks Countys children and
  try to correct them.
• Berks County Planning Commission Activities
• Berks County Planning Commission May 2007, June
  2007 Agenda Act 167 Stormwater Management Plans
• Maintenance of the Berks County Planning
  Commissions website as the link to DEPs website
  and info on MS4 and availability of e-mail for
  comments/questions. www.co.berks.pa.us/planning

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• Periodically place new info on website.
• Send out new information and resources to all
  schools in the County of Berks February 2008.
• Maintain a library of various information for the
  general public.
• Obtain and disseminate info in Spanish.
• E-Newsletter releases throughout year.
• Implement the Conservation Zoning Incentive
  Program (CZIP) for the protection of the Countys
  natural resources.
• Participate in Government week with a display on
  sound planning and natural resource conservation.
• Hold public meeting to present Riparian Buffer
  Project information (August 16, 2007).
• Hold public hearing on the draft Greenway
  Network to discuss natural resource preservation
  (12-07) Adopt Greenway, Park and Recreation Plan.

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• Berks County Commissioners Hold public hearing
  on Maiden Creek, Sacony Creek Update, Schuylkill
  River and Swamp Creek Act 167 Plans. Adopt
  Plans.
• Berks County Conservation Districts Executive
  Director, Assistant Director Environmental
  Educator, ESC Specialist and Watershed
  Specialist Activities
• Distribute Stormwater Pollution Prevention A
  Homeowners Guide to Keeping Our Water Clean
  brochure
• Earth Day Conservation Display (4-22-07)
• Stenciling storm drains May 24, 2007, June 5
  19, 2007
• Teacher education workshop March 24, 2007
• Teacher education workshop March 31, 2007
• Teacher education workshop July 26, 2007
• Teacher education workshop July 27, 2007

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• Teacher education workshop on NPS (non-point
  source pollution) August 2, 2007
• Best Management Practices trail presentation to
  Master Gardeners March 22, 2007
• Best Management Practices trail presentation to
  Legislators March 30, 2007
• Conservation Leadership School (6-07)
• Soil and Water Stewardship Week (2007)
• Conducted two interpretive classes through the
  County Park and Recreation Department (5-22-07,
  5-30-07)
• Presentations made throughout County of Berks to
  schools on stormwater management
• NPS/stream class Amazing Water for Berks County
  Parks Dept. to 50 kids August 8, 2007
• NPS presentation to 3 classes of 6th graders at
  Renewable Energy Festival

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• Conservation Class presentation to Fleetwood
  Middle School (Learning for Life) November 30,
  2007)
• Innovative Agricultural Workshop December 10,
  2007
• Crop and No-Till Conference January 24, 2008
• Future Fest childrens environmental education
• Annual Equipment Operators Workshop (3-4-08)
• Berks County Conservation District Quarterly
  Newsletter includes in every issue information on
  Watershed Associations, Stormwater and other
  related activities
• Berks County Envirothon (21st Annual) held for
  students in grades 9-12. Thirteen teams of high
  school students from schools throughout the
  County of Berks participated, April 2007
• Junior High Envirothon 18 teams participated
• Elementary Envirothon 18 teams participated

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• Environmental Education Gold Tournament
  Fundraiser October 5, 2007
• Watershed Coordination and stream clean-ups
• Reading Area Water Authority BCCD received
  grant funding for Source water education for
  schools within the Maiden Creek Watershed, the
  City of Readings water supply. Purchase of
  eVision groundwater model and other environmental
  equipment for middle schoolers. Classroom, field
  trips and lab experiments on source water
  protection.
• BMP projects along creeks
• BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES STORMWATER INTERPRETIVE
  TRAIL construction began on September 24, 2007

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• The Berks County Conservation District continues
  to hand out the Construction Activities Brochure
  to all developers.
• Berks County Conservancy
• Riparian Buffer Plantings on various farms and
  streams in County of Berks
• Education of farmers throughout the year on
  exclusion fencing, crossings, and riparian
  buffers
• MS4 Steering Committee Municipal Persons,
  Engineers Municipal participation throughout
  report year through e-mail updates.
• Pennsylvania Environment Council is working
  with various municipalities throughout the County
  of Berks to develop EACs, Environmental Advisory
  Councils. Presentations on water quality impacts
  throughout Berks County.
• Earth Day activities throughout Berks County.

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Public Education(March 10, 2007 to March 9, 2008)

• Other initiatives
• Schuylkill Action Network disseminate
  information to various groups including the SANS
  education award program for schools.
• Other municipal training
• 4-8-04 BCPWA Training Municipal
  Employees/Officials/Engineers (Initial
  Presentation) this presentation has been made
  available on-line for continued future use and
  dissemination when needed.
• Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and Sustainable
  Living Festival September 22-23, 2007, Kempton,
  PA (Berks County)
• Reading Eagle Newspaper Article about Best
  Management Practices August 18, 2007

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