Model stormwater ordinances / Metrolopitan North Georgia Water Planning Distric

May 2002
Fact Sheet
Model Stormwater Ordinances

Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

What is stormwater runoff?
Stormwater runoff is rainwater that runs off land and enters rivers, lakes and streams.

Effective stormwater management helps to provide for
watershed protection and is a critical need for the communities of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. The District has prepared a number of model stormwater management ordinances for the District communities as required by 2001 Senate Bill 130 (O.C.G.A. 12-5-582(a)).
Why is stormwater runoff a problem?
Stormwater runoff increases as land is developed and the rainwater can no longer soak into the ground. In addition, stormwater picks up pollutants as it flows through the urban and suburban environments and delivers them into downstream waters, causing water quality problems. Stormwater impacts local communities through flooding, stream channel erosion, damage to property and infrastructure, water quality impairment, habitat destruction and loss of quality of life. In fact, polluted stormwater runoff is the biggest cause of water quality impairment in the Water Planning District.
What ordinances are being proposed for the District communities?
Six model ordinances are being developed for cities and counties in the Water Planning District, each dealing with a different aspect of stormwater management and pollution control:

Isn't controlling stormwater runoff only an issue during construction, when the water can get muddy?
The management of stormwater runoff from sites after the construction phase is vital in controlling the impacts of development on our watersheds and water resources. Changes in the land surface during development and creation of impervious surfaces such as rooftops, roads and parking lots has a number of effects. First, it increases the peak flow, total volume and velocity of stormwater runoff from a site. This leads to increases in the occurrence of flooding, degradation of stream channels, stream warming and loss of aquatic biodiversity. Runoff from developed areas also contains a variety of pollutants that are detrimental to water quality, including sediment, nutrients, bacteria, heavy metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Efforts to control the impacts of development and associated stormwater runoff are typically in the form of nonstructural and structural management practices that either reduce runoff and initial pollutant loadings, or detain and treat stormwater to reduce pollutant levels and control the peak and volume of runoff.

Ordinance for Post-Development Stormwater Management For New Development and Redevelopment
Stream Buffer Protection Ordinance Floodplain Management / Flood Damage
Prevention Ordinance Conservation Subdivision / Open Space
Development Ordinance Illicit Discharge and Illegal Connection Ordinance, and Litter Control Ordinance
w w w. n o r t h g e o r g i a w a t e r. o r g

The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District is a planning entity dedicated to developing comprehensive regional and watershed-specific plans to be implemented by local governments in the District.

16 County-area included in the Water District:

Bartow Cherokee Clayton Cobb Coweta DeKalb

Douglas Fayette Fulton Forsyth Gwinnett Hall

Henry Paulding Rockdale Walton

Fast Facts

What is included in the model ordinance for post-development stormwater management?
This model ordinance addresses the post-development stormwater management requirements for new development and redevelopment sites. It defines requirements for a stormwater management plan, which would be required in order to undertake land development activities. This plan contains the details of how the development will address the post-development stormwater runoff quality and quantity impacts resulting from the permanent alteration of the character and hydrology of the land surface as well as the nonpoint source pollution from land use activities. The ordinance also outlines the water quantity and quality performance criteria for managing runoff and specifies local requirements for the use of structural stormwater controls and nonstructural practices, in order to protect public health and safety, protection of public and private property and infrastructure, and environmental protection.
What do the other model ordinances achieve?
The stream buffer protection ordinance is intended to preserve the riparian buffer on either side of a stream in order to protect stream channel stability, riparian canopy, aquatic and riparian habitat, and water quality.
The floodplain management and flood damage prevention ordinance is designed to protect public safety, minimize both public and private losses due to potential flooding from stormwater runoff and protect the floodplain functions that manage water quantity and quality.
The conservation subdivision and open space development ordinance provides a way for communities to explicitly enable the use of conservation or open space
subdivisions and developments. These types of developments preserve a portion of the site in an undisturbed natural state in perpetuity, and can provide green-
space and reduce the overall impacts of development in a watershed.

An illicit discharge and illegal connection ordinance provides communities with the authority to deal with these discharges and establishes enforcement actions for those properties found to be in noncompliance. An illicit discharge is defined as any discharge to a storm drainage system or surface water that is not composed entirely of stormwater runoff.
Finally, a litter control ordinance enables communities to have a local prohibition against littering and provide an enforcement mechanism with penalties for dealing with those found littering.
How will these model ordinances be adopted by local communities in the District?
Senate Bill 130 (O.C.G.A. 12-5-582(b)(4)) requires local governments to adopt the applicable model ordinances developed by the District, or something at least as effective as the District ordinances. Moreover, once the ordinances are incorporated into the District-wide Watershed Management Plan, the requirements will be linked to State water withdrawal and discharge permits. The District will be coordinating a program, administered by GA EPD, to train local elected officials and local personnel about the model ordinances. Implementation will be the key to successful stormwater management in the District.
Questions and Comments:
Draft Model Stormwater Ordinances
40 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30303

w w w. n o r t h g e o r g i a w a t e r. o r g

Phone: 404.463.3344 Fax: 404.463.3254
jdowns@atlantaregional.com

The Georgia Legislature created
the District in 2001 (Senate Bill 130 O.C.G.A. 12-5-570 et. seq.)
The major river basins of the Water
District are:
Chattahoochee Etowah Flint Ocmulgee Oconee
Funding sources for the District:
Dues paid by District counties and State funds
Major Planning Efforts of the
District:
Model Stormwater Ordinances
Short-term Wastewater Capacity Plan
District-wide Watershed Management Plan
Long-term Wastewater Management Plan
Water Supply and Water Conservation Management Plan