Annual Report of NPDES - Essex, Vermont60B9D552-E088-4553-92E3-EA2E9791E5A5... · Annual Report General Permit 3-9014 Year Ten Date of Report: April 1, 2013 Report Period: January

TOWN OF ESSEX

NPDES Phase II Permit Annual Report

General Permit 3-9014

Year Ten

Date of Report: April 1, 2013 Report Period: January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

Prepared By: Annie Costandi, E.I.

Stormwater Program Coordinator

2012 NPDES Annual Report Town of Essex, VT

2

Executive Summary

The Town of Essex is included in the Phase II – regulated small municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) General Permit through the NPDES stormwater permit. The Town has received the new permit, but the Year 10 report is in compliance with the previous permit. The Town of Essex continues to do routine inspection and maintenance of the stormwater facilities that are located within the Town. In addition, construction projects have a continual focus on stormwater, particularly within the watersheds of impaired waterways. There are two impaired waterways within the Town of Essex, Indian and Sunderland Brook. There is a continuous effort to get those areas off of the impaired waterway list.

In the past year, the Town has continued to take action to maintain stormwater infrastructure, increase community awareness and participation, and improve stream water quality. Stream clean-ups, installation of a rain garden, and rain barrel workshops are among the increased focus and participation that the Town has been putting on Stormwater. The Town was also successful in investigating and removing an illicit discharge of wastewater from the storm system. The following report contains information on the practices and happenings that the Town was involved in throughout 2012.


3

Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 2 Public Education and Outreach ......................................................................................................... 6

Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) Rover ........................................................................ 6 Town Meeting Day Handouts ....................................................................................................... 6 Storm Drain Stenciling and Marking ............................................................................................ 6 Pet Waste Management .................................................................................................................. 7 Selectboard Involvement ................................................................................................................ 8 Regional Stormwater Educational Program (RSEP) .................................................................. 8 Town Stormwater Website............................................................................................................. 8

Public Participation and Involvement ............................................................................................... 9 Chittenden County Stream Team .................................................................................................. 9 Green-up Day .................................................................................................................................. 9 VYCC Fern Hollow Repairs .......................................................................................................... 9 Hagan Trail Eagle Project .............................................................................................................. 9 Rain Barrel Workshops ................................................................................................................. 10 Essex Elementary Rain Garden ................................................................................................... 10 Stormwater Permits ....................................................................................................................... 10 NOI ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Conservation Committee Involvement ...................................................................................... 11

Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination .................................................................................. 12 Catch Basin Inspections .............................................................................................................. 12 Stormwater Permits ...................................................................................................................... 12 Stormwater Ordinance .................................................................................................................. 13 Hazardous Waste ........................................................................................................................... 13 OB Testing ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Outfall Inspection ........................................................................................................................ 14 Water Quality Testing ................................................................................................................... 14 System Investigation .................................................................................................................... 14 Violations ........................................................................................................................................ 14

Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control ........................................................................... 16 Planning and Zoning Regulations ............................................................................................... 16 New Development Inspections ................................................................................................... 16 Erosion and Sediment Control Guides ...................................................................................... 16 Town Projects Requiring State Permits ..................................................................................... 16 Large Construction Projects in Town ....................................................................................... 16 Enforcement of Erosion Control Ordinance ............................................................................ 17

Post Construction Runoff Control .................................................................................................. 18 Compliance Within Warranty Period ........................................................................................ 18 State Stormwater Manual.............................................................................................................. 18 Town Construction Projects ........................................................................................................ 18 Compliance with Stormwater Regulations ................................................................................. 18 Landfill Conditional Exclusion .................................................................................................... 19

Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping ................................................................................... 20


4

Spill Prevention Kit ..................................................................................................................... 20 Recycling of Petroleum Waste ..................................................................................................... 21 Green-up Day ................................................................................................................................ 21 Street Sweeping .............................................................................................................................. 21 Catch Basin and Pipe Cleaning .................................................................................................... 21 Repair and Replacement of Infrastructure................................................................................. 22 Municipal Compliance Assistance Program .............................................................................. 22 Catch Basin Inspections ............................................................................................................... 22 Outfall Inspections ........................................................................................................................ 22 Winter Operations Plan ................................................................................................................ 23

Future Stormwater Plans ................................................................................................................. 24


5

List of Figures

Figure 1: An example of one of the markers that is placed on Town catch basins. .................. 7

Index of Tables

Table 1: List of State Permits Issued Within the Town of Essex ............................................... 10 Table 2: Number of OB Tests performed in past years. .............................................................. 13 Table 3: Ongoing Construction Projects within the Town ......................................................... 17


6

Public Education and Outreach Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) Rover The Town is an active member of the Chittenden County Solid Waste District with a former Essex Selectboard member, Alan Nye, appointed to the managing Board of Commissioners for the District. Current Selectboard member, Max Levy, is the alternate for the CSWD Board of Commissioners. Detailed information on all the services provided by the District can be found on their web page at www.cswd.net. The Hazardous Waste Rover operated at the Chittenden Solid Waste District Recycling Center at Essex on July 14, 2012. On other dates, it operated from July through October at other community sites. Direct mailings were made to CSWD member communities as well as advertisements in the local media. The schedule is attached as Attachment PE #1. Town Meeting Day Handouts Generic stormwater educational flyers were distributed at the Essex Town Meeting. In addition, a brief review of stormwater events that occurred in FYE2012 was published in the Annual Report which is available to the community as well. Copies of these materials are included (Attachment PE #2). The Town obtained a significant quantity of both stormwater magnets (7500) and bookmarks (7500) through the RSEP program in 2005 and again distributed these stormwater reminders through the Essex library system (Town and Village libraries), through the Town Clerk’s office and at Town Meeting. Sufficient quantities remain on hand for distribution over the next few years. Storm Drain Stenciling and Marking Storm drain “stenciling and marking” was initiated by the Town in 2003 with progress made each year toward compliance with a 100% marking target by the end of the first five year permit cycle. Although the target was met by late 2007, some of the earlier installed urethane markers came off the curbing. Almost all of the new markers placed from 2007 forward are of the colored stainless steel variety that bolts to the catch basin grate.

http://www.cswd.net/


7

A total of 240 storm drain markers were purchased in 2010 and installed. Summer interns completed 100% marking of Town catch basins and utilized approximately 100 markers in the Village of Essex Junction in 2010. During the 2011 catch basin inspections, summer interns compiled a list of basins that still required marking. From that list, a total of 126 catch basins were marked in 2012 which is included in this report. It is anticipated that a limited number will have to be replaced each year and that some of the “painted” surface markings will need to be repainted in subsequent years. (Attachment PE#3). Pet Waste Management The Town currently provides Mutt Mitt dispensers at 12 different locations throughout the municipality. Five of these pet waste disposal systems were installed in 2003 and have been maintained since then at the following locations:

Sand Hill Park (1) Pearl Street Park (1) Indian Brook Park (2) Fort Ethan Allen Park (1)

Two more locations were added in 2005:

Essex Way at Myers Park (1) Sydney Drive at the Town recreation lands (1)

Additionally, the following locations have been added since 2005:

Indian Brook Park (1) Pearl Street Park (1) Foster Road (1) Hagan Drive (1)

Figure 1: An example of one of the markers that is placed on Town catch basins.


8

A total of 20,000 bags were purchased for the fixed dispensers (Mutt Mitts), and several new dispensers remain on hand. New dispenser locations will be added as necessary throughout the town. The Town Clerk also hands out the small, waste-bag carry containers (trade name Bags-on-Board) at the time of license renewal for all dogs (1382 were purchased in 2012). The Town and Village cooperate on the purchase and distribution of “Bags-on-Board” throughout the two communities. A copy of the Bags-on-Board purchased is included (Attachment PE #4). Selectboard Involvement The Selectboard has been updated periodically throughout the year on stormwater related issues. In some cases the issues were discussed as action items, written material was submitted for information purposes only and in some case stormwater issues were discussed in executive session in regard to legal cases affecting the Town. Copies of the meeting minutes are provided for evidence of compliance. In addition, many of the meetings are broadcast over the public access channel and information pertaining to the meetings is published on the Town’s web page (Attachment PE #5). Regional Stormwater Educational Program (RSEP) The Town has actively participated as a member of the Chittenden County Regional Stormwater Educational Committee. The Regional Stormwater Educational Program (RSEP) has created a countywide stormwater information website, www.smartwaterways.org, which has been periodically updated (Attachment PE #6a). Marketing Partners, Inc. provides an annual report to RSEP on the annual stormwater marketing programs. A copy of this report is included (Attachment PE #6b). RSEP was featured in the March 2009 issue of Municipal Sewer and Water Magazine. A copy of the article is included (Attachment PE #7). In addition to RSEP, the Chittenden County Stream Team (CCST) is active in the stormwater community. Although this program is primarily aimed at increasing public participation, there is an educational element to the work. They have created a Facebook page and quarterly email newsletters to increase the awareness of the program throughout the community. The CCST website also contains a “resources” page where users can find helpful websites to learn more about stormwater in their community. A screen-shot of the recently updated resources section of the web page is included (Attachment PE #8). Town Stormwater Website The Town has a website (www.essex.org) with a stormwater page that was established prior to September 1, 2003 per the NPDES Phase II first year requirements (Attachment PE #9). The stormwater page includes information on projects happening within the town that pertain to stormwater as well as documents, resources and forms that may be used by anyone visiting the site. The site is updated with new information as it becomes available to include a more extensive list of links and resources.

http://www.smartwaterways.org/

http://www.essex.org/


9

Public Participation and Involvement

Chittenden County Stream Team The Chittenden County Stream Team (CCST) was created by the same members of RSEP to aid in the compliance with the Public Participation portion of the NPDES permit. The group met monthly throughout 2012 and discussed ideas for the development of programs and events that the Team would host. CCST created a webpage, www.ccstreamteam.org as well as a Facebook page to attract participation in the group. A copy of both the homepage and the Facebook page can be found in Attachment PP#1. The CCST compiled an annual report with statistics pertaining to the interest in the group and certain activities that were hosted by the group throughout 2012. During the last year, the Stream Team installed several rain gardens, performed water quality monitoring at different sites along impaired streams, and hosted multiple outreach events including an ice cream social kickoff and a plant sale. Information on the summary of activities conducted by the Stream Team is included in Attachment PP#2. Although the Stream Team focused on activities primarily in Shelburne, Winooski, and Milton in 2012, in 2013 the team plans to increase outreach and community connections in Essex and Essex Junction in preparation for on-the-ground implementation in 2014. Green-up Day Every year, the town participates in Green-up Day. This past year, the Town organized and ran an extensive Green-Up Day Program on May 5, 2012, which cleaned not only the roads in Town but also a number of streams where debris had been located. Over 236 bags of trash and mixed debris were collected totaling 3.4 tons. A total of 156 tires were collected as well as items such as furniture, car batteries, painted wood and waste metal. The waste was taken to the Chittenden County Solid Waste Disposal Facility. Over 390 volunteers participated as well as a crew of Town employees (110 total man-hours). The details of the program are contained in Attachment PP#3. Sections of the two impaired waterways -- Sunderland Brook and Indian Brook -- were cleaned, as well as numerous roadsides and parks.

VYCC Fern Hollow Repairs In 2011, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) performed work at Fern Hollow, a tributary of Alder Brook. The work primarily consisted of erosion control measures to stabilize the banks and install check dams to slow the flow of water into the tributary and minimize sediment entering the waterway. In 2012, no repairs were completed at Fern Hollow, but the check dams were inspected. There are still issues with sediment build up that result in water flowing over and around the dams. Additional work will be completed during the summer of 2013. Hagan Trail Eagle Project The Town assisted David Fraiser, a local Eagle Scout, with implementing an erosion control project with partial reconstruction of a path between Lang Farm and Pinewood Developments. Due to erosion control issues, surface runoff coming down the path

http://www.ccstreamteam.org/


10

would form gullies in the path, which were potentially hazardous to residents travelling in the area. The project included the installation of hemlock logs as steps and two logs used as dams to shed water off of the path (Attachment PP#4). Rain Barrel Workshops The Town collaborated with ReSource to host two rain barrel workshops where residents had the opportunity to learn about and build their own rain barrels for their homes. The workshop provided tools, materials, and instruction to help residents build their own rain barrel. A short presentation about residential stormwater practices was given by ReSource employees prior to the construction of the barrels. The two workshops were held on Thursday, May 3, 2012 and Thursday, June 14, 2012 (Attachment PP#5). Essex Elementary Rain Garden The Town assisted and supported Friends of the Winooski River with the installation of a rain garden at the Essex Elementary School. The Town reviewed the design before construction and provided assistance with excavation during the construction phase of the project. (Attachment PP#6)

Stormwater Permits

The Town has complied with all public notice requirements, including the posting of applicable permits. Table 1 shows the new permits that were issued or recorded for projects within the Town of Essex (outside the Village) in 2012.

Table 1: List of State Permits Issued Within the Town of Essex

Permit Number Permittee Property

6792-9015 Bouffard Construction Company, Inc. & Goodrich Lane Homeowners Association

Goodrich Lane/Bouffard Property 6 Lot Subdivision located on Brigham Rd.

5263-9015 Birchwood Land Company & Birchwood Manor Homeowners Association, Inc.

Lands of Birchwood Land Company located on Tanglewood Dr. and Rosewood Trail

4147-9015.1A Regal Gymnastics Academy, LLC Lot #2 – Saxon Hill Industrial Park

4484-9015.A1 Carmichael Street Stormwater Discharge Management Association, Inc.

CVS Pharmacy, Town Meadow PUD, including extension to Carmichael St.

6713-INDS Philip and Louise Kolvoord Route 2A Mini Storage located at 78 Lincoln St.

5673-9015.2 Rich Struble Lot #23 of Gauthier Industrial Park

3911-INDS.1R Cornerstone Commons Condominium Association & The Wilson Inn, Inc.

Cornerstone Commons Condominiums and 53 new condominium units, retail and office space, and parking


11

NOI The Town posted its NOI, the annual NPDES Phase 2 permit and the five- year summary report on the Town webpage. The plan is to update the webpage as new information or requirements impacting on stormwater activities in the Town are obtained. Conservation Committee Involvement The Conservation Committee met monthly in 2012. A major portion of their input on development review is related to environmental considerations, including stormwater. Copies of their minutes are attached as Attachment PP#7 as well as the Conservation Committee Summary of Activities Report from the Town Annual Report.


12

Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Catch Basin Inspections The Town continues to use its GIS-based stormwater systems maps developed during Permit Year One and has added to the database or made corrections in subsequent years. Two summer interns with the assistance of Town Highway staff completed inspections of all of the municipal catch basins and outfalls during Permit Year Ten. The collected data was utilized by the Town’s GIS coordinator to develop more accurate stormwater maps for the Town. Over the past few years, very limited new development has taken place and therefore, few new catch basins and outfalls have been added to the inventory. The most recently updated maps are kept on hand at the Public Works office for the Town. There are 1660 total catch basins in Town, of which 1131 are owned by the municipality, 463 of which are private, and 66 that belong to VTRANS. There are also 259 separate outfalls. The Town has in excess of 639 culverts. A 100% culvert inspection was conducted in 2009 and the results of the inspections are logged into the GIS map system. An updated culvert inspection/inventory was conducted by interns from the CCRPC in 2012. The maps and conditions have been updated to reflect the results of the latest culvert inspections. Summer engineering interns inspected 1130 Town catch basins in existence during the early the summer of 2012. A list of catch basins, conditions and actions taken is provided under Item 6 Municipal Operations, Attachments MO#5, MO#6 and MO#7. Stormwater Permits The Town completed its responsibility to renew old permits within the non-impaired waterways in permit Year Three. All outstanding permits were updated and reissued by the State for a ten-year period. These permits are old ones issued prior to permit # 3-9010, the General Permit for Previously Permitted stormwater Discharges. A list of these Town-responsible permits is included as Attachment ID#1. The Town has received the new MS4 Permit and has until 180 days following the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources’ authorization to discharge to determine the appropriate actions to be taken relative to the old stormwater permits. The state sends copies of stormwater permits that pertain to areas within the Town of Essex. Copies of these permits are kept on record at the Town Public Works Office. The permits that were received in 2012 can be found in Table 1 under the Public Participation portion of this report. Stormwater Ordinance The Town has a Stormwater Ordinance that prohibits illicit discharges into any municipal waters. This includes any non-stormwater discharges into any of the municipal stormwater systems. Certain discharges are permissible, such as air conditioning condensation, non-commercial vehicle washing, firefighting activities, etc. The Stormwater Ordinance can be found on the Stormwater portion of the Town website.


13

(http://www.essex.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={B1514A56-E23E-43B7-9195-5ED284507A8F} ). Please refer to this site for the complete Ordinance and all of its Appendices. Hazardous Waste As mentioned in the Public Education portion of the report, the Town utilizes CSWD and their hazardous waste Rover to collect and dispose of any materials that require special recycling and/or handling. The schedule for the Rover can be found in Attachment PE#1. OB Testing Summer Interns observed all stormwater outfalls identified by the Town within the community during the permit year. A total of 7 optical brightener tests were conducted at different locations around the community in the summer of 2012; this compares to the testing done in previous years as follows:

Table 2: Number of OB Tests performed in past years.

Year Number of Optical Brightener Tests

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

7 11 31 35 39 56 33 31 65 79

Two locations identified as potential “hot spots” in 2003 did not show up as problem areas in 2004 or 2006. In 2005, one of these areas continued to indicate a problem. In 2007, additional investigations were conducted in the area (Sunset Drive), resulting in an inconclusive identification of the source or sources. This area was tested again in 2008 with mixed results. Tests in this area in 2009 again returned mixed results. Further testing of this location was performed in 2010 and returned negative OB results. Two of the 31 areas that were tested in 2010 returned positive results in 2011. The optical brightener results from 2012 are provided in Attachment ID#2. One of the locations that have been of concern for the past several years once again resulted in positive OB tests. Shortly after the OB tests were completed, it was determined that a residence had an illegal connection of their washing machine to the storm system that contributed to the positive OB tests at the locations of concern. The illicit discharge was eliminated and additional information is provided in Attachments ID#6 and ID#7. OB tests will be conducted during the summer of 2013 to verify these locations are no longer a concern.

http://www.essex.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BB1514A56-E23E-43B7-9195-5ED284507A8F%7D

http://www.essex.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BB1514A56-E23E-43B7-9195-5ED284507A8F%7D


14

In addition, the ANR reviewed the Town IDDE report submitted during 2008 and identified 23 sites for possible OB testing, some of which correlate with the sites identified in 2008 and earlier years by the Town. In addition to the OB testing, the Town purchased a Hach DR/890 field sampler/identification kit in 2009 to use in conjunction with the Village testing program. The ANR sites that were recommended for testing in 2009 are included in Attachment ID#3. Many of these sites are not within the area of the Town’s responsibility being either private discharges or VTRANS outlets/culverts. The sites that were tested in the summer of 2012 can be found in Attachment ID#4. Outfall Inspection The Town completed a comprehensive investigation of all outfalls in the Town in February of 2008 and submitted a copy of the report to the State. Although the report was identified in the 2007 NPDES Phase 2 Annual Report, the summary of the findings are provided in the 2008 Phase 2 Annual report because the document was actually produced in 2008. Outfalls are routinely inspected by summer interns as well. Water Quality Testing The Town maintains a database on the water quality testing done within the Town’s stormwater system. Please reference Attachment ID#4 for the past summer's water quality testing locations. Prior year’s data is compiled in a spreadsheet and can also be found in the IDDE report done in 2008. System Investigation The Town and Village hired VHB Pioneer during the fall of 2008 to conduct bio-monitoring studies on Sunderland Brook to assist in the identification of stream conditions. The results of their work have been completed and submitted to the VANR. The data collected was inconclusive as to the quality of the receiving stream due to the influence of beaver activity in the Sunderland Brook watershed. Nothing was found to provide any indication of an IDDE problem. The Town continues to focus many of their stormwater improvement efforts on areas that drain into the two impaired waterways located within the reaches of the Town (Indian and Sunderland Brook). Violations Residents can report illicit discharge violations by completing a Report of Illicit Discharge that can be found on the Town Stormwater website. A copy of this form can be found in Attachment ID#5. In the summer of 2012, during a routine replacement of a resident’s water meter, Town employees noticed that a discharge pipe from a washing machine was not directly connected to the Town sewer, and was discharging directly into the stormwater system. The resident was notified immediately (Attachment ID#6) and the Town assisted the resident in eliminating the illegal discharge. The issue was resolved and no fines were issued. A letter was sent to the Watershed Management Division at the Vermont


15

Department of Environmental Conservation as a notification of the illicit discharge detection and elimination (Attachment ID#7).


16

Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control Planning and Zoning Regulations A new Town plan was adopted in 2006 followed by new Zoning Regulations on April 14, 2008 and new Subdivision Regulations on December 22, 2008. The new regulations contain much stricter provisions regarding riparian buffers, water and wetland protection. Important elements of these documents were provided in the 2008 report. The Town Plan was revised early last year and the community voted and approved the new plan at Town Meeting on March 5, 2012. None of the changes in the proposed Town Plan have an impact on stormwater. The changes have been made to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations.

The final component of the local documents needed to complete the full array of regulations and standards is the Public Works Specifications. This document has been under preparation for a number of years. Although a significant portion of the document will be covered in the NOI, it will be completed and ready for Selectboard review in the summer of 2013. New Development Inspections During the tenth year of the permit, the Town inspected new construction on approved developments. In general, the erosion control measures were appropriate, in accord with the approved plans, and in compliance with the State guidelines. The major projects that are still open and involve letters of credit (project completion financial guarantees) are identified in Attachment CS #1. Erosion and Sediment Control Guides Instructions were provided to the Community Development Staff to provide the Town handbook entitled “Small Site Erosion Control Guide” to anyone seeking a building permit from the Town. Please see Attachment CS #2.

Large Construction Projects in Town The Town has implemented procedures to identify projects that meet the Town and State regulatory levels requiring the issuance of permits. Please reference Section 2, item 2C and the following. There were a number of new or ongoing construction projects that met the threshold of land disturbance over 1 acre. The ongoing projects over 1 acre or significant Town approved projects include the following:


17

Table 3: Ongoing Construction Projects within the Town

Project Name Location Lot Size or

Disturbed Area Impervious Area

Forestdale Oak Ridge Section C Phase III *1

Off Allen Martin Parkway

40.75 Acres of 288 acre parcel

10.9 acres

Pinewood Manor Phase H *2 Pinewood Manor off VT 117

42.6 acres of 161.4 acre parcel

6.98 acres

Owen Jenkins Birchwood *3 Linden Lane, Rosewood Trail, Tanglewood Drive

5 acres 2.75 acres

Saxon Hill Lot C *4 Corporate Drive 36.23 acres 6 acres

Cornerstone Commons 42 Susie Wilson Rd.

2.15 acres 1.43 acres

Town Meadow – Building D Carmichael St. 7.96 acres 1.44 acres

Town Meadow – Building C *5 Carmichael St. 7.96 acres 1.47 acres

Town Meadow – Building B *6 Carmichael St. 7.96 acres 0.78 acres

Regal Gymnastics 2 Corporate Dr. 3.79 acres 1.17 acres

Highview Estates *7 Highview Drive 22.96 acres 1.98 acres

*1 Approximately 80% built-out *2 Approximately 85% built-out (5 homes completed as of spring 2013) *3 Approximately 90% built out (infrastructure and all but one house in 2010) *4 Approximately 50% built-out *5 Approximately 20% built-out *6 Approximately 20% built-out *7 Approximately 40% built-out

A complete listing of zoning permits issued during 2012 is included as Attachment CS #3. Enforcement of Erosion Control Ordinance The Town has developed the procedure to be used to notify the State of apparent permit violations or construction activity that may be occurring in violation of State requirements in the absence of an issued permit. A copy of the procedure was provided in the Year Two Report. There were no incidents reported in Year Ten but action was taken by the Town on a number of development projects. Please reference Attachments PCM #3, PCM #4, and PCM #5.


18

Post Construction Runoff Control

Compliance Within Warranty Period The Public Works Department has inspected development projects during each year

of the NPDES Phase II permit as noted in the attachments. The list of open, major development projects (i.e., those within the three-year warranty period) is included as Attachment CS#1 under the Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control section. The inspections during 2012 resulted in added cleaning of catch basins, improvements to installed erosion control devices and street sweeping on a number of smaller projects, as well as staff construction inspection activity.

State Stormwater Manual

The Town complied with the State stormwater guidelines and requirements on its construction projects during 2012. The major Town construction projects involved the following:

- Alder Lane: Reconstructed area drainage swale and piping for the road, installed new curb to channel flow to existing catch basins and added stone protection to the outfall

- SandHill Road between Founders Road and Allen Martin Drive: Reconstructed drainage to include infiltration pipes and better channelization of flow with no discharge

The Town construction projects also involved the resurfacing of bituminous concrete roads and reconstruction of roads within existing curbs and channel/swale protection on a number of gravel roads.

Town Construction Projects

Please reference best management practice number four, Construction Site Runoff Control, Town Projects Requiring State Permits. In addition, Attachment PCM #1 contains the list of all projects that went before the Planning Commission for review and approval in 2012. The Public Works Department staff performs a technical review of every project at each stage of the development process -- sketch plan, preliminary plan or final plan submittal. In addition, all site plans are reviewed. The stormwater and erosion control plans are reviewed for completeness and technical accuracy during each stage of project development.

Compliance with Stormwater Regulations

Please reference Items 4c/5c under Illicit Detection and Items 2c, 4c and 5c under Construction Site Runoff Control. The Town will generally take immediate action under its own Stormwater Ordinance to notify violators of any deficiencies so that corrections can be made immediately. If a violation is found that is not being addressed under the Town’s Stormwater Ordinance procedures or if the problem is significant, then the Town will notify the State as to a possible State violation.

During an inspection of drainage infrastructure behind a resident’s property, a Town employee noticed that the inlet of a drainage pipe was blocked by a large amount of


19

trimmed branches. A letter was sent to notify the resident about the potential to obstruct the flow of water and cause damage to neighboring properties if the area was blocked by any debris (Attachment PCM#2).

During a site inspection of the Kellogg Road Stormwater Pond behind a resident’s property, a Town employee noticed that a stockpile of dirt located near the edge of the slope of the pond was growing larger. It was also noted that a silt fence installed at the location was not being properly maintained. A letter was sent to notify the resident advising them to pull the pile back away from the slope as much as possible and to reinstall and maintain the silt fence as soon as possible (Attachment PCM#3).

Pictures were taken of an area off of Vermont Route 128 that looked like excavation work was being done very close to Brown’s River. There was concern over whether permits were issued for the work and if any fill had been placed in the river. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were notified. They contacted the landowners and inspected the area. The landowner had received a permit from the state stream alteration engineer, and because no fill was placed in the river, no permit was required from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Attachment PCM#4).

In order for the Planning Commission to sign off on a building permit for a

landowner on Morse Drive, the landowner had to adhere to a set of conditions (Attachment PCM#5). A Town employee completed a site inspection of the area to determine whether the conditions were met. Although the outfalls had been cleared of debris, there was still an issue with erosion at the top of the bank. It was determined that the erosion was to be repaired before the Planning Commission signed off on the building permit.

In response to a landowner’s water issues and concern over the Town’s storm

system, a Town employee investigated the storm system for their development. After the investigation, it was determined that the storm system was functioning properly and was not the cause of their water issues. A letter was sent to the landowners discussing this and if they decided to perform any repair work on their underdrain to notify the Public Works Department (Attachment PCM #6) Landfill Conditional Exclusion

The Essex Landfill, located on Landfill Lane in Essex, VT was capped in October of 1993. The Town is required to complete the No Exposure Certification through the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. This Certification proves the Conditional Exclusion from the Multi-Sector General Permit 3-9003. A copy of this certificate can be found in Attachment PCM #7.


20

Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping

The State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation held training for municipal employees on MS4s in the fall of 2012 entitled “Best Management Practices for Managing Street Sweepings and Catch Basin Cleanings.” A list of the attendees is included in the attachments. Please see Attachment MO#1. A full-day winter operations training session was held on November 1, 2012 prior to the onset of winter conditions. All Town highway employees were required to attend this training session. A copy of the Winter Operations Manual can be found in Attachment MO#2. It appears that the training conducted was successful based on the consistent decrease in road salt usage over the past several years. See the attached winter salt and sand usage charts (MO#3). The following people attended special classes/courses dealing with stormwater:

Dennis Lutz:

NEIWPCC Commissioners Meeting/Training, January 12-13, 2012

AWSP Stormwater training, February 29, 2012

GMWA Stormwater Breakfast with Legislators, March 28, 2012

APWA Spring Training Conference, April 1, 2012

Chamber of Commerce Stormwater Meeting, May 16, 2012

Chamber of Commerce Stormwater Meeting, July 18, 2012

NEIWPCC Commissioners Meeting/Training, September 13-14, 2012

Watershed Planning meeting with VANR, October 24 2012

MS4 Stormwater Meeting, November 27, 2012

Stormwater MS4 Permit Meeting, December 12, 2012

Jackie Kline:

AWSP Webinar: Build This – Stormwater Retrofit Construction Issues, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, April 18, 2012

2012 Lake Champlain Flood Resilience Conference, Lake Champlain Basin, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, June 4-5, 2012

In July of 2010, the Town approved the addition of a new full-time position within

the Public Works Department for a Stormwater Program Coordinator. The position was filled by staff that was working in that field at the time. The duties of this position include all requirements that the Town must comply with according to the NPDES MS4 Stormwater Permit. Spill Prevention Kit

The Town maintains a spill prevention kit at the highway garage; the kit was expanded during 2004 and sump skimmers were purchased for use in the inlet catch basin to the detention basin.


21

Recycling of Petroleum Waste All petroleum products are properly maintained and disposed of in an approved

manner. The waste oil and anti-freeze are temporarily stored in 55-gallon drums onsite, either inside the garage or in an approved, outside storage container. Up until late January of 2008, the waste oil was collected by the NOCO Energy Corporation. After that date, local arrangements were made to utilize the used oil to heat a local garage. Replacement products for booms for the stormwater pond and haz-mat bales for spills are ordered on a recurring basis as needed.

On October 12, 2012, the oil-water separators were cleaned at the Town highway

garage and fire station by Safety-Kleen. There was very little solid material in the bottom of either tank. Safety-Kleen recommended cleaning out the tanks once every two years (Attachment MO#4). Green-up Day

Reference best management practice two, Public Participation, Green-up Day, as well Attachment PP#3 for details on the 2012 Green-up Day. Street Sweeping

The Town swept its streets two or more times during the tenth year of the permit. A 100% complete sweep was done in the spring and again in the fall. During the summer, the sweeper covered areas as the need was identified. The estimated total quantity of material removed from the roadway as part of the Town sweeper program was 250 tons. The sweepings are generally lighter in weight than the catch basin cleanings due to the amount of leaves and lighter debris. The Town also built a facility for the deposit and drying of the street sweeping/catch basin cleanings in 2010. The structure allows the material to sit and dry out, while all of the runoff goes into a catch basin within the facility and into a septic tank, that is checked and, as needed, the effluent is taken to the ETWT for treatment. The drying bed facility was built using STAG funds and is located on Town land near the CSWD Drop-Off Facility on Landfill Lane in Essex. Catch Basin and Pipe Cleaning

A 100% inventory of the Town stormwater infrastructure was completed in 2002 at the start of the NPDES Phase 2 Permit. As new stormwater systems have come on line, the information has been added to the Town’s GIS database. According to the current inventory, there were 1660 catch basins in the Town as of December 31st, 2012. Of this number, 463 are private and 66 belong to VTRANS. This leaves 1131 that are currently a municipal responsibility. During 2012, a detailed inspection was conducted of all of the catch basins in the ground, for an inspection percentage of 100% in the Town. A total of 150 catch basins were cleaned, not all as the result of the summer inspections. The winter of 2011-2012


22

was a snowy winter, but there was no shortage of road salt. The low number requiring cleaning was due primarily to the reduction in winter sand use on the paved roads. A copy of the inspection and cleaning results are included as Attachment MO#5. Repair and Replacement of Infrastructure

Minor repairs were again made to drainage system outfalls, where end sections of pipe had broken or scour action disturbed the outflow channel. Damaged or defective culverts were replaced as needed at various locations throughout the Town. Please refer to Attachment MO#6 for the list of outfalls that were not able to be located within the Town. A list of structural problems with catch basins can be found on the inspection list in Attachment MO#5 and those repaired is included as Attachment MO#7. Municipal Compliance Assistance Program

The Town participated in the Municipal Compliance Program in 2008 and the items identified for correction were completed. A copy has been included in past reports and can be found the Annual Reports since 2008. The Town also has its facility inspected on a yearly basis by League of Cities and Towns as our insurance carrier. The inspection covers all aspects of the Town garage operations, including items relating to hazardous materials, storage of chemicals, etc.

Catch Basin Inspections

During the summer months, the Town hired two engineering student interns (from various nearby colleges with engineering programs) to primarily inspect all municipal catch basins, outfalls and treatment facilities. In general, the interns inspected the infrastructure within the Town of Essex. A summary memo of the work performed by the interns can be found in Attachment MO#8. The Public Works Director also inspects the treatment facilities and spot checks the other stormwater components. Primary emphasis is on those individually permitted systems, those systems in the impaired waterways and those components which may require added cleaning due to a higher application of winter materials. Not all deficiencies that are noted need immediate repair. The repairs are prioritized so the most critical repairs or those repairs needed on individually permitted systems are done first. For example, mortar may have come loose from brickwork between a catch basin frame and the concrete base. If the catch basin and surrounding pavement are stable, this deficiency may be noted but not repaired until further deterioration takes place that does affect the “systems performance”. Copies of the deficiencies found and corrections made on elements of the individual permitted systems are attached. Reference Attachments: MO#5, MO#6 and MO#7 Outfall Inspections

All identified Town outfalls were inspected as part of the IDDE report started in 2007 and completed in 2008. A total of 9 outfalls were identified as needing some form of repair. One outfall, #120, into the Winooski River Watershed needed full replacement and a contractor was hired to perform this work. The other identified outfall issues were not significant and they will be addressed in future years as funds become available.


23

With the subsequent report issued by the State called the Essex Stormwater Outfall Project (Jan 2009), a few additional Town outfalls were investigated but no significant issues were found on the Town outfalls. In addition to the catch basins within the Town, all corresponding outfalls are checked by summer interns at the time of catch basin inspections. Any issues are reported to the Public Works Office and repairs/replacements are made accordingly. Winter Operations Plan

The Town operates every winter in general compliance with a yearly-adopted Winter Operations Plan approved by the Selectboard. An important component for the winter of 2012-2013 is the reduction of sand use on the paved roads and a corresponding reduction in the amount of salt applied to the paved roads. To date, the Town has been successful in reducing the amount of salt applied. An excerpt from the Winter Operations Plan is attached as Attachment MO #2.


24

Future Stormwater Plans

In addition to the noted work tasks completed during 2012, the NPDES permit requires that the Town report on future activities and changes to the program. At this time:

1) The Town plans to continue to work with the Chittenden County Stream Team (CCST) to improve public participation and education. The CCST plans to increase outreach and community connections within the Town in 2013 with the goal of implementing activities in the area in 2014.

2) The Town will revisit the rain garden constructed at Essex Elementary School this

summer to ensure that it is effective in treating the runoff from the parking lot and to ensure it is being properly maintained.

3) The Town will investigate and look at new initiatives under the new permit NOI. 4) The Town will develop the Flow Restoration Plan. 5) The Town plans to work closely with local landowners to integrate them into the

FRP and future improved waterways solutions.

Annie Costandi, E.I.

Stomwater Program Coordinator/Staff Engineer Date

Documents

Annual Report of NPDES - Essex, Vermont60B9D552-E088-4553-92E3-EA2E9791E5A5... · Annual Report General Permit 3-9014 Year Ten Date of Report: April 1, 2013 Report Period: January