The City of Muncie has enacted a Storm Water Ordinance in order to comply with federal regulations and to provide for the drainage of storm water in such manner as to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. The City of Muncie is the permitting authority for all land disturbing activities and requires the land owner to maintain all on-site stormwater control facilities and all open space areas (e.g. parks or “green” areas) required by the approved stormwater control plan. The City of Muncie will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The City of Muncie, under the NPDES program, also has the authority to inspect properties for noncompliance and can issue a notice of violation (NOV) for any deficiency or infraction onsite. Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of any stormwater facilities or practices located on the property. The City of Muncie has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they properly maintained and functioning.
Rates are based on a property’s contribution to stormwater runoff. Therefore, customers are charged based on the impervious surface (hard surface such as parking lots, roofs, sidewalks, etc.) their property is known to have. This amount was calculated using the data from property tax records and aerial photography. Customers are broken down into two classifications; Residential and Non-Residential. Classifications are determined using the State of Indiana land use codes. Residential Rates are based on the average impervious area (2,500 sq. ft.) of all properties within Delaware County. Non-Residential Rates are based on the average classes of impervious area starting with the base calculation at the equivalent residential rate class. Calculations are determined by using Equivalent Residential Units (ERU), which is the basic unit for the computation of storm water service fees. All properties contribute to the community’s need to manage stormwater, therefore, all property owners must share in the cost of this program, and no properties are exempt.
If your site required a Construction General Permit, you will be responsible for operating and maintaining any post-construction best management practices (BMPs) that were included in the site plans. EPA, IDEM, and Local government require post construction best management practices to help reduce pollutants from leaving a newly developed site. Once the job is complete, and the contractor leaves, responsibility for maintaining these BMPs shifts to the property owner. Periodic inspections of these practices is required for as long as you own the property. Failure to maintain your BMPs may result in violations. Failure to correct violations may result in your municipality making corrections at your expense. A small effort on your part may save you money and headaches later.