6 more cities must devise stormwater-runoff plan

Six additional cities in Northwest Arkansas must develop a comprehensive program to curtail pollution in stormwater runoff and comply with federal regulations that have kicked in because of population increases in the region.

The program must include each city’s plan for controlling stormwater runoff and soil erosion at constructionsites. The program must also outline a plan for educating residents about what daily activities contribute to water pollution and preventing them from illegally dumping things such as chemicals and oil into the storm-drainage system.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality sent letters Nov. 13 alerting the cities - Bella Vista, Cave Springs, Centerton, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove andTontitown - that they must obtain permits to discharge storm water. That’s because portions of the cities are now classified as being in an “urbanized area,” as determined by the 2010 U.S. Census, said Katherine Benenati, department spokesman. The urbanized area encompasses the region’s most developed and population-dense parts.

The cities must submit notices of intent to the agency by May 13, along with theirstormwater-management plans, Benenati said.

Larger cities such as Fayetteville and Springdale have been following the regulations since 2003.

“When we get down to it, our environment is one of the most precious things we have,” said Christopher Suneson, director of planning and code enforcement for Bella Vista, a city of 26,460 residents. “We have to be responsible for what we do to ourwater.”

Several years ago, Bella Vista officials anticipated having to comply with the stormwater regulations because of the population density along the U.S. 71 corridor, Suneson said. Within the past couple of years, city officials started taking steps toward preventing stormwater pollution by adding regulations to the planning process on large developments.

As a result, developers of apartment complexes, shopping centers and subdivisions with multiple housing tracts sometimes install gravel at construction-site exits to remove mud from the tires of exiting vehicles, Suneson said. Others install wirebacked fabric fences on the downhill sides of their sites to filter running water after heavy rains.

“It’s just good construction practice to control erosion and sediment that could leave the construction site,” Suneson said.

Still ahead will be drafting city ordinances to address repercussions for allowing chemicals, gas or oil to leak into waterways, he said.

Complying with the federal regulations will require some expense, Suneson said. The city will pay its share, $15,000, of the $200,000 regional public-education program. The money will come out of the city’s 2013 budget.

Suneson said the budget also includes $25,000 for mapping every part of the city’s stormwater-drainage system, another federal requirement. The map must show all ditches and pipes along Bella Vista’s 600 miles of roads, he said.

In Centerton, with 9,515 residents, street Superintendent Rick Hudson said he has started talking with contractors about erosion and sediment control. He said he expected educating residents about preventing stormwater pollution to be a challenge.Residents must learn not to pour chemicals into storm drains and to consider the amounts of fertilizers and pesticides they spread on lawns, he said.

Tontitown Mayor Tommy Granata said he is still learning about the requirements for his city of 2,460 people.

The Environmental Protection Agency began a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System stormwater program in 1990 under the federal Clean Water Act. The program established regulations for municipal stormdrainage systems for populations of at least 100,000.

In 2003, those regulations began applying to smaller municipalities in U.S. census-defined urbanized areas, which included 15 cities in Northwest Arkansas, according to information from the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The expansion of the region’s urbanized area after the 2010 Census means that 21 cities now are subject to the regulations, said Katie Teague, Washington County extension agent for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission contracted with the extension service to provide educational programs designed tohelp municipalities meet requirements of the stormwater permits.

Storm drains do not lead to wastewater treatment plants but convey water after heavy rains to the nearest creeks and streams, Teague said. What flows into storm drains makes its way to the Illinois River, the White River system and the Elk River, which supply the region with water.

Teague said two things residents can easily do to prevent pollution are picking up pet waste on trails and keeping grass clippings off streets. Pet waste and grass clippings in runoff help elevate nitrogen and phosphorous levels in creeks and streams, causing algae to grow, Teague said.As the algae later dies, oxygen levels in the water fall. Some fish, including blue gills, can’t survive when the oxygen levels fall too low, Teague said.

“Just making a few small changes, and they can do a good job of protecting water quality,” she said.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 12/31/2012

Upcoming Events