City of Pontiac/ County of Oakland

Oakland County Water Resource Commissioner’s Office Enforcement Procedure

The WRC has permitting authority under the Michigan Drain Code and is able to investigate and permit or require the elimination of illicit connections and direct discharges to County Drains within their jurisdictional authority; however, WRC does not have regulatory authority to investigate or enforce corrective actions to eliminate illicit discharges from public and private property or entering County Drains indirectly through local public or private storm drains. The WRC works with local community authorities, private property owners, the Oakland County Health Department, and other State and Federal regulatory agencies for investigation and elimination of illicit discharge sources outside of their respective jurisdictions.

Excerpt from Oakland County Design Manual

Part H: Operations and Maintenance

Long-term Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Plans are required for County Stormwater Systems and Non-County Stormwater Systems and are summarized below. To facilitate routine inspections, all O&M requirements and documents listed below shall be incorporated into the plan set on dedicated O&M specific plan sheets. When O&M responsibilities or requirements are modified or updated, the respective O&M Plan sheet(s) shall be updated accordingly.

To ensure consistent perpetual O&M of the site’s stormwater system and to enhance water quality protection, prior to Drain Permit issuance, the WRC’s Permitting Department shall review and
approve the site-specific Stormwater Management O&M Agreement between the community and property owner. A fully executed Stormwater Management O&M Agreement is required prior to
issuance of the Drain Permit. This agreement shall consist of the following requirements which will be incorporated into the O&M Plan sheet(s):

1. Legal Description: A legal description and reduced copy map to identify the land parcel(s) affected by this Agreement. This map shall be prepared for each site and must include a reference to a Subdivision Plat, parcel survey, or Condominium Master Deed, and a map to illustrate the affected parcel(s).
2. Stormwater System Description and Map: A location map of the entire stormwater system. This map must be prepared for each site and the scale of the map shall show necessary detail.
3. Stormwater O&M Plan Sheet(s): The site-specific Stormwater O&M Plan shall include the following requirements:
   • Description of the stormwater system, drainage area, and its individual components.
   • Specific short-term, intermediate and long-term maintenance tasks.
   • Inspection and maintenance tasks, frequencies and responsibilities (matrix/table).
   • Employee and contractor O&M training requirements, certifications, and responsibilities.
   • BMP Details
   • Property owners are responsible for completing all O&M tasks and maintaining O&M records for their stormwater systems. Upon request, property owners shall submit an Annual Stormwater System O&M Summary to OCWRC’s Permitting Department for tracking only. The community is responsible for enforcement of the O&M requirements as outlined in the Stormwater Management O&M Agreement and their MS4 permit.
4. Memorandum of Stormwater Management Operations and Maintenance Agreement: This O&M Memorandum acknowledges a perpetual requirement of stormwater system operations and maintenance, which is recorded with the Register of Deeds to put any future property owners, or interest holders, on notice of the Stormwater System and the Stormwater O&M Plan. This O&M Memorandum references the required Stormwater Management O&M Agreement, which resides with the local community to ensure consistency and periodic updates as necessary. A copy of the recorded document shall be submitted to OCWRC prior to closure of the Drain Permit.

Additional Resources

WRC Enforcement Procedure

Stormwater Engineering Design Standards

Oakland County Stormwater Website