The City of Hialeah has enacted a Stormwater Ordinance in order to establish minimum stormwater management requirements and controls to protect and safeguard the general health, safety, and welfare of the public residing in watersheds within this jurisdiction. The City of Hialeah is the permitting authority for all land disturbing activities and requires the land owner to maintain all on-site stormwater control facilities and all open space areas (e.g. parks or “green” areas) required by the approved stormwater control plan. The City of Hialeah will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The City of Hialeah, under the NPDES program, also has the authority to inspect properties for noncompliance and can issue a notice of violation (NOV) for any deficiency or infraction onsite. Property owners are responsible for the maintenance of any stormwater facilities or practices located on the property. The City of Hialeah has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they are properly maintained and functioning.
Residential properties pay the fee per dwelling unit per month. Nonresidential properties pay at a rate of $2.50 per 1,664 square feet of impervious area per month. Impervious area is typically the building floor print on the ground and paved parking lot.
Erosion and Sediment Control
The City of Hialeah’s stormwater drainage system consists of inlets and pipelines that transport rainfall runoff water into the groundwater through pipes that have small holes built into them for that purpose. These drainage systems and the waters that they discharge into can be seriously damaged by pollutants contained in the stormwater runoff, dewatering activity, and intentional dumping of wastes. Construction debris and dirt, oil, fuel, hydraulic fluid, and equipment washdown water containing concrete particles are typical drainage system pollutants that are often associated with both private property and public right-of-way construction activity.
It is illegal to discharge anything but rain water into a storm drain system. City of Hialeah and Miami-Dade County regulations prohibit non-stormwater discharges to any drainage system. Dewatering to a drainage system requires the written approval of the City of Hialeah’s Streets Department and a Class V permit from Miami Dade County Department of Regulatory & Economic Resources (RER) A/K/A Department of Environmental Resources (DERM).
Failure to protect the City’s drainage system can result in fines and added costs to clean the system. It is the responsibility of the company and/or individual who is issued a construction permit to work within the City of Hialeah to insure that no pollutants, site erosion, or sediment transport contaminates the City’s drainage system. Storm drain inlets that can be contaminated by nearby construction activity must be properly covered to prevent the inflow of contaminants. The area around the drains must be thoroughly cleaned before the protective devices are removed.