Title: Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) The Berks County Collaborative Approach
1Municipal 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
2MS4 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
3Intergovernmental Cooperation Policy
- Working together for a better Berks County
- Berks County Planning Commission
4Regional 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
5Why?
- Stormwater knows no municipal borders
- Water supplies know no municipal borders
- Sewage needs know no municipal borders
6Joint Planning Efforts
7Urbanized Areas
8How 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
9How We Got Started
- Exploratory meetings
- Berks County
- DEP discovered Act 167 relationship
- Center for Local Government Leadership
- Create steering committee
10How 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
11Analyses of Activities and Costs
- Individual Municipality
- Prepare and implement the MS4 Program
- 39,800
Cooperative Effort Prepare and implement the MS4
Program 16,500
12Analyses 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
13Asked for Municipal Participation
- . . . and the response was . . .
- 45 of 47 municipalities
- County itself
- County Welfare Tract
- County airport authority
14MS4 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
15Anticipated 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
16Control 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
17Berks 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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19Cooperative 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
20Public 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
21Public 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.
22Public 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
23Public 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
24Public 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
25Public 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
26Public 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.
27Public 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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