Storm water comments trickle in
Feedback trickles in on stormwater proposals
Oconee County
By Merritt Melancon juliana.melancon@onlineathens.com Story updated at 10:33 PM on
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Oconee County has gotten only one comment on proposed new stormwater regulations, but that doesn't mean the ordinances will necessarily be adopted as is.
As the ordinances currently are written, one would bar dumping anything other than rainwater into a storm drain and another would require the county to make periodic inspections of existing stormwater retention ponds maintained by their owners - whether that is a private landowner, the owner of a commercial development or a neighborhood association.
A third ordinance would require new developments to include detention ponds that reduce pollutants, not just hold and slow stormwater runoff as local law requires now.
The inspection ordinance would apply only to the 22-square-mile area of the county that the state Environmental Protection Division has dubbed urbanized, and the other two would apply to the entire county.
The EPD is requiring the county to include these three ordinances in a state-mandated stormwater management plan. The same set of state requirements led Athens-Clarke County to institute a stormwater utility fee earlier this year to help pay for stormwater maintenance activities.
Some Oconee County commissioners have expressed concern over the penalties listed for habitual violators of ordinances. As the ordinances currently read, authorities could impose fines of up to $1,000 for each violation and each day the violation goes unremedied. Habitual violators could face up to 60 days in jail.
Commissioners are talking to the county attorney about whether they can impose jail time for violating the ordinance, and that penalty may be removed from ordinances before commissioners consider them at a Dec. 6 meeting.
Commissioners also have discussed whether the requirement for detention ponds in new developments should apply to the entire county or just to the 22-square-mile urbanized area, said Amy Morrison, Oconee County's stormwater program coordinator.
"The decision that we have to make is whether we want to expand it across the county," Davis said.
The idea of combining the three ordinances into one ordinance also has been discussed, Morrison said.
Oconee County
By Merritt Melancon juliana.melancon@onlineathens.com Story updated at 10:33 PM on
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Oconee County has gotten only one comment on proposed new stormwater regulations, but that doesn't mean the ordinances will necessarily be adopted as is.
As the ordinances currently are written, one would bar dumping anything other than rainwater into a storm drain and another would require the county to make periodic inspections of existing stormwater retention ponds maintained by their owners - whether that is a private landowner, the owner of a commercial development or a neighborhood association.
A third ordinance would require new developments to include detention ponds that reduce pollutants, not just hold and slow stormwater runoff as local law requires now.
The inspection ordinance would apply only to the 22-square-mile area of the county that the state Environmental Protection Division has dubbed urbanized, and the other two would apply to the entire county.
The EPD is requiring the county to include these three ordinances in a state-mandated stormwater management plan. The same set of state requirements led Athens-Clarke County to institute a stormwater utility fee earlier this year to help pay for stormwater maintenance activities.
Some Oconee County commissioners have expressed concern over the penalties listed for habitual violators of ordinances. As the ordinances currently read, authorities could impose fines of up to $1,000 for each violation and each day the violation goes unremedied. Habitual violators could face up to 60 days in jail.
Commissioners are talking to the county attorney about whether they can impose jail time for violating the ordinance, and that penalty may be removed from ordinances before commissioners consider them at a Dec. 6 meeting.
Commissioners also have discussed whether the requirement for detention ponds in new developments should apply to the entire county or just to the 22-square-mile urbanized area, said Amy Morrison, Oconee County's stormwater program coordinator.
"The decision that we have to make is whether we want to expand it across the county," Davis said.
The idea of combining the three ordinances into one ordinance also has been discussed, Morrison said.
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