Pennsylvania Threatening Legal Action Against Some Towns

Pennsylvania Threatening Legal Action Against Some Towns



November 2007
 
 The Pennsylvania 
Department of Environmental Protection has ordered seven municipalities in 
Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties to comply with the reporting 
requirements of federal stormwater regulations by December 5 or face 
possible legal action and fines. 
The municipalities - Bristol Township and Langhorne Borough in Bucks 
County; Valley, West Bradford, West Caln and Westtown townships in Chester 
County; and Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County - are owners of 
municipal separate storm sewer systems, or MS4s, and are required to 
submit an annual report to DEP by June 9 of each year. 
The municipalities were late in submitting the 2006 report and have yet to 
submit a report for 2007. DEP's order and deadline applies to the 2007 
annual report. 
According to DEP's Southeast Regional Director Joseph Feola, these 
regulations address the water quality of runoff that enters streams and 
rivers through storm sewers. 
"Residents of these seven municipalities deserve the benefits that will 
come from looking after their stormwater discharges more carefully," Feola 
said. "Stormwater runoff can degrade water quality and cause localized 
flooding. This initiative is designed to help us protect the environment 
and control runoff every time it rains." 
MS4s are required to implement and enforce a stormwater management program 
to protect water quality and satisfy federal requirements by reducing 
pollutant discharge to the maximum extent practical. 
The MS4 program, begun in 2002, is an effort to improve water quality 
across the state and it is a key component of Pennsylvania's comprehensive 
stormwater management program. 
Pennsylvania administers the federal government's stormwater regulations, 
which require communities to complete certain activities at scheduled 
intervals over the next several years. Communities must adopt a local 
stormwater ordinance, accurately map storm sewer systems, conduct initial 
outreach activities to raise public awareness of reducing polluted runoff, 
and document accomplishments in an annual report. 
Unmanaged or poorly managed stormwater can result in stream-bank scour, 
stream destabilization, sedimentation, loss of groundwater recharge and 
base flow, localized flooding, habitat modification, and water quality and 
quantity impairment. 
Conversely, stormwater managed properly through established best 
management practices can remove pollutants, recharge groundwater through 
retention and infiltration, provide base flow for surface water, and 
maintain the stability and environmental integrity of waterways and 
wetlands. 
"To protect and sustain groundwater and surface water resources over the 
long-term, stormwater should be managed as an environmental resource 
rather than as a waste to be discharged and moved downstream quickly," 
Feola said. "These plans protect our fresh water supply, while balancing 
the needs of businesses, the community and recreational users." 

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