City of Springfield

The City of Springfield has enacted Storm Water Ordinances in order to protect maintain and enhance the public health safety and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Springfield by establishing minimum requirements and procedures to control adverse impacts associated with stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment. The City of Springfield 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 Springfield will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The City of Springfield, 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 Springfield has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they properly maintained and functioning.

Excerpt from Stormwater Ordinance

334-5 Regulations.

The Department may promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this chapter. Failure by the Department to promulgate such rules and regulations shall not have the effect of suspending or invalidating this chapter.

334-6 Prohibited activities.

1. Illicit discharges. No person shall dump, discharge, cause or allow to be discharged any pollutant or non-stormwater discharge into the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), into a watercourse, or into the waters of the commonwealth.
2. Illicit connections. No person shall construct, use, allow, maintain or continue any illicit connection to the municipal storm drain system, regardless of whether the connection was permissible under applicable law, regulation or custom at the time of connection.
3. Obstruction of municipal storm drain system. No person shall obstruct or interfere with the normal flow of stormwater into or out of the municipal storm drain system without prior written approval from the Department.

334-8 Suspension of storm drainage system access.

1. The Department may suspend municipal storm drain system access to any person or property without prior written notice when such suspension is necessary to stop an actual or threatened discharge of pollutants that presents imminent risk of harm to the public health, safety, welfare or the environment. In the event any person fails to comply with an emergency suspension order, the authorized enforcement agency may take all reasonable steps to prevent or minimize harm to the public health, safety, welfare or the environment.
2. Any person discharging to a municipal storm drain system in violation of this chapter may have their municipal storm drain system access terminated if such termination would abate or reduce an illicit discharge. The Department will notify a violator of the proposed termination of municipal storm drain system access. The violator may petition the Department for reconsideration and hearing. A person commits an offense if the person reinstates municipal storm drain system access to premises terminated pursuant to this section, without prior approval from the Department.

334-9 Notification of spills.

Notwithstanding other requirements of local, state or federal law, as soon as a person responsible for a facility or operation, or responsible for emergency response for a facility or operation, has information of or suspects a release of materials at that facility or operation, resulting in or which may result in discharge of pollutants to the municipal storm drainage system or waters of the commonwealth, the person shall take all necessary steps to ensure containment, and cleanup of the release. In the event of a release of oil or hazardous materials, the person shall immediately notify the municipal Fire and Police Departments, Department of Public Works, and the Board of Health. In the event of a release of nonhazardous material, the reporting person shall notify the authorized enforcement agency no later than the next business day. The reporting person shall provide to the authorized enforcement agency written confirmation of all telephone, facsimile or in-person notifications within three business days thereafter. If the discharge of prohibited materials is from a commercial or industrial facility, the facility owner or operator of the facility shall retain on-site a written record of the discharge and the actions taken to prevent its recurrence. Such records shall be retained for at least three years.

336-6 Applicability

1. Multifamily residential developments involving four or more units;
2. Any new commercial, industrial, institutional structures under the same ownership, with at least 5,000 square feet of gross floor area, 10,000 square feet of impervious surface, or that require 10 or more parking spaces;
3. Redevelopment or additions to existing commercial, industrial, and institutional uses which result in an additional impervious surface area or gross floor area of greater than 5,000 square feet, or which results in an increase of 10 or more parking spaces;
4. Construction activities and subdivisions disturbing greater than or equal to one acre;
5. Development or redevelopment involving multiple separate activities in discontinuous locations or on different schedules if the activities are part of a larger common plan of development or redevelopment that together disturbs one or more acres.

LINK:

Springfield Stormwater Homepage

Springfield Stormwater Ordinance