Council hears update on stormwater management requirement

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The City of Homewood will have to create a new Stormwater Management Program Plan as part of complying with new regulations to receive its stormwater permit.

Scott Hofer, of the Stormwater Management Authority (SWMA) and the Jefferson County Department of Public Health's Watershed Protection Program, spoke to the City Council's special issues committee tonight to talk about changes to permits and inspections to ensure the city is complying with water runoff regulations.

Beginning in 2017, Hofer said, the cities that participated in SWMA started to receive individual permits rather than getting a single, collective permit. Homewood received its individual permit on July 1, 2017. Though SWMA will continue to provide most stormwater inspection and training services, Homewood must now serve as the liable party to ensure that the city meets all regulations through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There are several components to meeting stormwater management regulations, Hofer said, including fulfilling certain activities, training and maintenance, as well as documentation of these tasks.

“If you don’t document it, you never did it,” Hofer said.

One of the most time-sensitive components is the creation of a Stormwater Management Program Plan, which is an annual list of ways the city plans to maintain and control stormwater runoff. This is coupled with a year-end report showing how the city met those goals. Hofer said the city has until March 31 to complete a first draft of the plan, with the help of SWMA and a template already completed for Trussville. After approval from ADEM, Hofer said the city should put its draft plan out for public comment.

Other tasks include:

  • Developing and updating city ordinances to meet requirements and tighten enforcement. SWMA has three ordinances currently open for public comment — on erosion and sedimentation, post-construction and illicit discharge — which can be viewed here. Homewood's ordinances must include creation of a Stormwater Management Program Plan and a way for the public to report complaints about runoff or incorrect procedures.
  • Public education: Teaching residents, students and business owners about pollution, stormwater and ways to reduce toxins and litter in the city's waterways. Organizing litter pickup programs is also part of this task.
  • Illicit discharge detection and elimination: Documenting improper runoff management and discharge entering rivers and streams. Hofer said at least 20 percent of Homewood's stormwater "outfalls" must be checked annually.
  • Construction site runoff control: Ensuring proper drainage and prevention of water pollution, including silt fences and gravel, on construction sites around Homewood. Since Homewood is in the Shades Creek watershed, Hofer said this must be done monthly.
  • Post-construction maintenance: For new construction or redevelopment on sites larger than an acre, Homewood must ensure onsite stormwater management systems meet requirements and are inspected yearly, so that the water impact is close to unchanged from prior to development. This also includes encouraging low-impact design, such as permeable paving stones or bioswales to reduce runoff.
  • Spill prevention and response: Mapping spill locations, including chronic problem areas, and responding to incidents to investigate and clean up.
  • Municipal "good housekeeping": Ensuring that city buildings and employees meet stormwater and pollution requirements, and documenting litter, debris and use of de-icing agents.
  • Application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers: The city must document its inventory and use of these chemicals to ensure they don't enter waterways. 
  • Oil, toxics and household hazardous waste control: Teaching residents about proper disposal of certain household items, such as paint, and where they can safely get rid of these items in Homewood.
  • Industrial Stormwater Runoff: Monitoring "high risk" runoff locations such as landfills, industrial facilities and hazardous materials treatment or disposal facilities.
  • Water monitoring program: The city must sample municipal streams within the first two hours of rainfall and keep a continuous probe in Shades Creek near the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Columbiana Road.

The City of Homewood inspects construction sites, but Hofer said SWMA will continue to handle most other tasks, including the new industrial inspections. SWMA also offers training for personnel on certain stormwater inspection and maintenance topics.

SWMA also provides a year-end report of compliance from its participating municipalities to ADEM. City planner Vanessa McGrath said that while she does receive citizen calls about stormwater concerns, the city does not have a reporting system on its website.

The special issues committee asked to set up more meetings with Hofer to get a better understanding of its new responsibilities, as well as to create the Stormwater Management Program Plan prior to March 31.

Also at tonight's committee meeting, UAB basketball strength coach Nick Michael presented his proposal for outdoor exercise equipment to be located along the Shades Creek Greenway or in one of the city parks.

Michael, a recent Birmingham transplant, proposed a set of equipment designed for multiple activities and skill levels. Within a 30-foot by 30-foot area, he included pushup handholds, pullup bars, benches, low bars for rowing exercises, boxes of different heights and a TRX station to do exercises with special straps. The area would also include instruction panels for the various exercises.

Though he originally proposed it for Patriot Park, Michael said the idea could also work in West Homewood or Spring Park, as well as the greenway. When the city constructs the second phase of the greenway, he said a space could be developed for the equipment to incorporate it into runners' and walkers' use of the trail.

Ward 5 Representative Jennifer Andress said the city is hoping to seek bids for the second phase of the greenway, which will extend the trail to Wildwood, later this fall.

Michael said the equipment would cost about $15,500, the contractor would cost $17,500 and adding a soft surface would cost $10,500, plus about $600 per instruction panel. The total would be roughly $45,000.

The committee asked Michael to send this information to Parks and Recreation Director Berkley Squires to include in the budget process for the 2019 fiscal year. They also discussed finding grant sources to offset the cost.