Sioux City, Iowa lawmakers gave first-round approval Monday to a proposal beefing up the city's authority to crack down on the illegal dumping of contaminants into the city's storm sewers.
"This ordinance gives the city the authority to perform inspections on private property, which is what the state requires of municipalities," Aaron Kraft, environmental services manager, said. "This ordinance is modeled on 18 other cities' ordinances."
The council must enact the new rules in order to remain in compliance with the storm water permit granted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Cities must adopt the laws by Sept. 1.
The ordinance prohibits the dumping of anything other than storm water, snow melt and surface runoff down the storm sewers unless a permit has been issued for another discharge.
For example, Kraft said, the ordinance will ban dumping gasoline into the storm sewers and even mud that is washed into the sewers during a construction project.
The IDNR issues a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit, which the city has. The state requires cities to adopt programs to identify and eliminate "illicit discharges," information on the annual dry weather flow inspections, sampling and analyses of dry weather flows and procedures for disconnecting illicit connections. The city must keep inspection records and measures taken to identify and eliminate the sources of any other flows.
"The plan shall be evaluated annually to assess the effectiveness of the program and any necessary changes made," according to permit's requirements.
"All illicit discharges found must be eliminated within 21 days after discovery. If it is not possible to eliminate an illicit discharge within 21 days of discovery, the permittee shall submit to the department the reasons why it can't be eliminated with 21 days of discovery" and a timetable to correct the problem.
Kraft estimated it will take between 300 and 400 hours of staff time to comply with the permit's requirements.
The council will be asked to give second and final approval to the ordinance next Monday.
Source: SC
