The City of Lewiston 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 Lewiston 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 Lewiston will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The City of Lewiston, 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 Lewiston has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they are properly maintained and functioning.
A storm drainage system, likely any other infrastructure, requires routine maintenance to maximize system capacity and extend the useful life of the system. In the past, this maintenance was only undertaken to maximize the drainage systems ability to convey storm runoff. However, maintenance of storm drainage systems has expanded in recent years to include efforts to improve water quality. As discussed in Section 7, the Phase II rules require development of an O & M program targeting water quality. Providing adequate and consistent funding for storm drainage operation and maintenance is essential for a successful storm water program.
Lewiston, like most cities in the northwest, places the responsibility for operation and maintenance of storm drainage systems in the Street Department. Storm drainage therefore competes for manpower and funding with the needs of pavement repair and replacement, snow and ice removal, and other street maintenance needs. This often results in minimal or inconsistent funding for storm drainage needs. In some cities, the formation of “storm water utilities” or rate funded storm water programs has resulted in consistent funding, and in some cases, operation and maintenance responsibilities being shifted to separate storm drainage departments within these cities.
The typical components of a storm water system operation and maintenance program include:
This Stormwater Manual requires the development and City approval of a Stormwater Operations and Maintenance Plans (O&MP) for all Lewiston Stormwater Policy and Design Manual Appendices Draft October 2010 5 commercial, industrial and public development and redevelopment, including residential subdivisions that will discharge stormwater to the City’s stormwater system. The design objective is to create a plan that will, over time and through various owners, guarantee the continued maintenance and functioning of stormwater control BMPs on any given site. The City may require that any stormwater management responsibilities or limitations created by a SWMP or O&MP be recorded with the title of the property.
City of Lewiston Stormwater Master Plan