Stormwater Infrastructure helps to convey rainwater, prevent flooding of homes, roadways, all while protecting water quality. Many factors can impact water quality. In this article we will look at water temperature and how stormwater infrastructure can help maintain healthy streams and lakes. As areas become more developed there is an increase in impervious surface area. On a sunny day paved surfaces can transfer heat to the air above them and to stormwater as it flows over. The surface temperature of a parking lot can exceed 140°F on a clear summer day. This is almost hot enough to fry an egg. During a rainstorm, pavement also allows water to flow unimpeded into the storm drains. Water flowing off hot pavement becomes warmer and can cause thermal stress to organisms living in the receiving stream. Fish and macroinvertebrates, tiny organisms which make up the base of the aquatic food chain, have a temperature range that they are well adapted to. Think of trout living in a cool mountain stream. Fish have adapted over many thousands of years to the environments in which they live. Increasing the temperature of a stream over time or subjecting the stream to sudden fluctuations in temperature will stress the fish populations in that stream. Some heat tolerant species will survive while less tolerant species will see a drop in numbers. There are many reasons for this, one of which is dissolved oxygen. Colder water can hold more oxygen which fish breath through their gills. Warmer water holds less oxygen. While our native fish populations do worse with increased stream temperatures, certain algae species can do well in warmer waters. These algae will bloom, creating additional stress on the fish since they can deplete oxygen in the water. To further complicate things, urbanization typically results in less tree canopy around streams resulting in less shade and higher water temperatures. Stormwater controls can help to reduce thermal stress on fish and other aquatic organisms. Grassed swales can slow down water and help it to infiltrate. Establishing clearing limits around streams helps to maintain a filter buffer or better yet, a tree canopy around the streams. How can stormwater infrastructure help to maintain good water quality. One piece of infrastructure that can make a big difference is the basin. In our example of hot water flowing off a parking lot, the basin slows the flow down giving the water time to cool to safer levels. Once in the basin heat transfer can occur between the water and the basin. Some transfer also takes place between the water and the air. The rate of heat loss is determined by the “specific heat” of water. The specific heat it is the amount of energy needed to change the temperature of water by 1 degree. A significant amount of energy needs removed to reduce the temperature of water. We can’t change the air temperature or how much rainfall is received. What can be influenced is how long it takes water to flow through the basin. This is done by oversizing the basin and by installing the water quality orifice when converting the outlet structure over to post construction design. A larger basin will have more storage, increasing the water quality storage volume. The orifice plate or restriction plate is made of stainless steel and restricts the volume of water that can leave the basin in a given time. The person installing the plate should consult the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) for which size orifice plate to install. Properly designed and maintained stormwater infrastructure helps make our rivers and streams a little cooler.
For more information, contact our office at 513.695.1337
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1/9/2025 Builder Shout-Out for a Job Well Done -- Winter Snowstorm Doesn’t Stop Work for Fischer HomesRead Now![]() Sediment and Erosion Control is an ongoing battle on construction sites. One day everything may be fine, silt fence is functioning, and sediment is being contained on site. But, the next day may bring inclement weather that moves sediment around and damages Best Management Practices (BMPs) for sediment and erosion control. That’s why BMP maintenance on construction sites requires vigilance to ensure they are working to control sediment. Recently, we got hit with a frosty snowstorm, dumping a foot of snow over Warren County. While the frozen ground may help reduce sediment runoff, there are still issues to combat. Work must continue, the roads need plowed, and sidewalks need cleared so that workers can continue to work on homes being built. So, there can be some slushy sediment that makes its way onto the streets during this time. Dimitry Loukoumidis at Fischer Homes is well aware of the need to keep up on sediment and erosion control. Dimitri and Fischer Homes have been great to work with, consistently paying attention to site BMPs, and being communicative when Warren County SWCD site inspectors see something that needs maintenance. That’s why this month we are giving a shout-out to Fischer Homes at Losh Landing in Deerfield Township. There are always challenges with sediment for any development under construction, but Fischer Homes has been keeping up with their routine weekly street-sweeping schedule. Following this snowstorm, they are increasing their street sweeping from three days a week, to a daily basis for the sections where they are building homes. They have even coordinated with another builder in the community to coordinate their street sweeping schedules together. Dimitri has provided a quote: “One of the first things I was told at Fischer Homes was the importance of a clean and organized community. When we have potential customers driving and walking through communities, we do not want them to have to navigate mud, trash, and debris. We want them to see a well-organized community where everything has a place. We want their first impression of Fischer Homes to be positive and stand out from other builders in the area. This is especially important in communities like Losh Landing where we share the community with another builder. In order to achieve this high standard, I think that starts at the very beginning with proper sediment and erosion control. Not only does this prevent erosion from our sites and sediment getting into the roadways, it helps to protect our drainage swales, catch basins, and any surrounding properties and waterways, but it also sets clear boundaries. Whether our trade partners realize it or not, proper and consistent silt control sets clear boundaries of where they can and cannot drive, run equipment, etc. This directly impacts how much mud and debris is tracked on to the road and through the community. In my opinion proper management of silt control and roadways are the foundation to successfully transforming a development into a community.” Thank you to Fischer Homes for your hard work and here’s to a Happy New Year! Article written by Justin Bedocs, Urban Program Specialist 1/2/2025 Water You Talking About? I need a Permit? Construction Stormwater General Permit and Co-PermitteesRead NowThe Industrial revolution saw a large amount of pollution being dumped into America’s waterways, and treatment plants were either non-existent or a far-cry compared to what they are today. The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio was so polluted with toxic sludge that it caught fire, multiple times! The environmental revolution of the 1960s and 70s led to many environmental regulations, as people saw how poorly we were treating our environment and ecosystems. In 1948, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act became the first U.S. law to combat water pollution. This was amended in 1972 to become The Clean Water Act (CWA). The CWA has helped make the nation’s waters safer and cleaner, allowing communities to return to the water for swimming, fishing, and recreation. Environmental laws like the Clean Water Act aren’t going away. They are still needed to continue protecting America’s cherished natural resources for future generations.
The Clean Water Act established the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). There are a multitude of pollutants that enter America’s waterways, so there are a multitude of permits regulating discharge to those waterways. The NPDES permit we will focus on today, is the Construction Stormwater General Permit (CSGP). This permit allows discharge of stormwater from construction sites, provided that certain treatment practices are installed during construction. Why is Dirt so Dirty? Sediment is the largest pollutant in Ohio’s lakes and streams, so the CSGP aims to reduce the amount of sediment-laden water being discharged from construction sites. Excessive sediment in waterways can cause fish kills and disrupt ecosystems. It clouds the water column and makes it hard for aquatic life to breathe and find food. Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other pollutants also bond with sediment. It turns out that Ma was right all along. Dirt is dirty. So, take your shoes off at the door! When is the Permit Required? We are currently in the sixth generation of the CSGP. This Ohio EPA permit (OHC000006) is required for any project that will disturb one or more acres of earth. It is required to discharge stormwater from the construction site when the ground is exposed to the elements and erosion occurs. More information regarding this permit can be found here. To obtain coverage, the applicant must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Ohio EPA. Once this permit is received from the EPA, a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and Earth Disturbing Permit (EDP) Application must be submitted to our office for review to ensure sediment and erosion control measures will be installed throughout the project. The EDP application can be found and submitted here. Our urban technicians inspect the site each month to make sure the permit requirements like sediment and erosion control measures are being upheld. When the project is complete and the site is stabilized, a Notice of Termination (NOT) must be filed to close out the permit coverage. These applications can be found in the Ohio EPA eBusiness Center Surface Water Tracking, Reporting, and Electronic Application Management System (STREAMS) here. Who Is Responsible for Sediment and Erosion Controls? The contact listed on the CSGP Notice of Intent (NOI) application or the designated SWPPP contact is responsible for upholding permit requirements and maintaining sediment and erosion control measures throughout the duration of the project. Sometimes it’s a building company that does the total site development and the construction. In other cases, there may be a developer who only does the grading, roads, and utilities, but then a builder comes in for the construction later. In this case, the permit coverage needs to be transferred to the builder(s). If there are multiple builders, each builder would need to sign up as a co-permittee to the overall site permit. That way, each builder is aware of their responsibility for individual lot controls to keep sediment contained. In a situation where each house is a separate builder, and disturbance is less than one acre, the permit is still needed. Ohio EPA refers to this type of project as a Common Plan of Development (as defined in Appendix A of the CGP). This occurs when there is a contiguous area where multiple separate and distinct construction activities may be taking place at different times on different schedules under one common plan. There are two ways permit coverage can be transferred, Co-Permittee coverage and Individual lot coverage. Co-Permittee Coverage Co-permittees can be added to a permit if there are multiple developers or contractors working on a project that falls under one general permit and there are centralized sediment and erosion controls (controls that address runoff from one or more lots, I.e., a basin or ditches/inlets along roadways not associated with a specific developed lot). A common example of this is a large residential subdivision development with centralized storm control features that has different builders working on different sections/lots throughout the development. Without obtaining the co-permittee coverage for those different contractors, the original overall development permittee (typically developer/SWPPP contact) retains the responsibility of both the centralized sediment and erosion control measures and the individual lot controls. Therefore, adding those entities as co-permittees to the project transfers responsibility of individual lot controls maintenance to the builders/contractors and the developer retains responsibility of the centralized features. Individual Lot Coverage If there are no centralized storm control features and the transfer of permit coverage will not prevent or impair the implementation of controls, the original permittee can transfer responsibility to individual lot owners. In this case, the original permittee must temporarily stabilize sold lots, inform the new lot owner of his permit obligations, and ensure that an Individual Lot NOI application is submitted to the Ohio EPA at least seven (7) days prior to the date the new lot owner intends to accept permit responsibility. In both the case of adding co-permittees and obtaining individual lot permit coverage, the lot owner should obtain a copy of the original SWPPP and comply with its requirements. Depending on site topography and location, additional controls above and beyond those outlined for the "typical" lot may be required. The new lot owner may also be partially or completely responsible for amending the SWPPP and installing those controls. For more information please contact Warren SWCD at 513.695.1337 |
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Urban team BLOGEvery month, the Warren Co SWCD Urban Team dives deep into the world of land development as it relates to stormwater pollution prevention. The blog covers topics like erosion & sediment control best management practices (BMPs), state and local regulations, retention/detention basins, and the conservation of our natural resources. Stay up to date with Development Digest by signing up for WCSWCD Urban eNews!
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