City of West Linn

The City of West Linn has enacted a Stormwater Ordinance in order to establish minimum stormwater management requirements and controls to protect and safeguard the general health, safety, and welfare of the public residing in watersheds within this jurisdiction. The City of West Linn 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 West Linn will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The City of West Linn, 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 West Linn has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they are properly maintained and functioning.

Excerpt from City of West Linn Municipal Code

4.070 Private Responsibilities.

(1) Storm drainage facilities to be managed by the person responsible include but are not limited to:

(a) A storm drainage facility not located on City owned property, City right-of-way, or City easement;

(b) A private parking lot storm drain;

(d) A storm drainage facility not designed and constructed for use by the general public;

(e) An open drainage way;

(f) Access drive culverts in the public right-of-way or on private property;

(g) A detention, retention or treatment system, in the construction of which the City did not financially participate.

(2) Any person responsible shall keep open drainageways on property which they possess or control cleared of debris and vegetation as required by Sections 5.400 to 5.430.

(3) Any person responsible for non-public storm treatment and detention facilities such as catch basins, manholes, filter systems, rain gardens, etc., shall enter into a maintenance agreement with the City, and maintain such facilities so as to prevent flooding or damage to other property not possessed or controlled by the person responsible and to prevent injury to any person or property not owned or controlled by the person responsible.

(a) The maintenance agreement shall be recorded in the deed records of Clackamas County, Oregon.

(4) Any person responsible shall not alter a detention, retention or treatment system from its original properly functioning condition or intended design without prior approval of the City Engineer.

Private parking lots and private streets must be swept or cleaned at least semi-annually. Prior to the sweeping or cleaning, bio-filter bags (or filter fabric inlet sacks) must be installed to prevent pollution during the maintenance effort from entering the City’s storm drainage system and impacting downstream water quality. The property owner or manager must certify every year through a cleaning contractor that the inspections and cleanings have been completed.

(6) The failure of any person responsible to comply with the obligations stated in subsection (1), (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section is in violation.

(7) The conditions on private property which may result in situations proscribed by subsection (2), (3), (4) or (5) of this section are declared to be a danger to public health and safety and therefore are a nuisance to be abated as provided in Sections 5.400 to 5.430.

Excerpt from Operation and Maintenance for Private Property Owners

Inspection Schedule: How often?

It is recommended that you inspect your facility at least:

Quarterly for the first two years
Twice a year thereafter, and
Within 48 hours of major rainfall events (more than one inch of rain over a 24-hour period). Some inspections are recommended more often, as noted in the following text.

For at least the first two years, you should conduct inspections with the facility drawings to help you understand how the facility is supposed to function. This section will help you recognize signs that indicate diminished performance (for example, sediment accumulation, vegetation die-off, or ponding water for more than 24 hours after a storm).

Inspection and Maintenance Logs

City Code requires you to keep inspection and maintenance logs for your facility. In general, the logs should note inspection dates, the facility components inspected, and any maintenance or repairs made. It is also a good idea to track the rate of sediment accumulation and record visual observations about the facility and its components. We encourage you to use the sample log on the following page. If you have a manufactured facility or have a maintenance contract with the manufacturer, assure that their maintenance logs generally include the same type of information and level of detail.