Compliance with the City of Norfolk stormwater regulations is required to ensure the general health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City of Norfolk (City) and protect the quality of state waters from the potential harm of unmanaged stormwater runoff, including protection from a land disturbing activity causing unreasonable degradation of properties, water quality, stream channels and other natural resources, and, in accordance with Code of Virginia, § 62.1-44.15:27, to establish procedures whereby stormwater requirements related to water quality and quantity shall be administered and enforced. Stormwater runoff is flow overland from precipitation that accumulates in and flows through natural or man-made conveyance systems during rainfall events or from snowmelt.
As a Phase I MS4 the City of Norfolk is required by the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act to address post construction runoff from new development or redevelopment. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are installed to ensure water quality and quantity standards are met to reduce pollution and flooding.
Structural BMPs are designed to be permanent facilities that collect stormwater runoff to remove pollutants prior to releasing the water to a local waterway. Some examples of BMPs include, but are not limited to, detention basins, retention basins, infiltration practices, bioretention basins, manufactured systems, and grassed swales.
BMPs are to be maintained by owners to ensure they are functioning as designed. To ensure BMPs are maintained, inspections of BMPs are conducted by a City of Norfolk inspector on an annual basis. BMPs are inspected according to the Virginia Stormwater Management Handbook and approved site plans.
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or any regulation promulgated pursuant to authority granted in this chapter shall be guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense. In addition to any penalty imposed for each violation, a judge hearing the case may direct the person responsible for the violation or the property owner to correct the violation and each days default in such correction shall constitute a violation of and a separate offense under this section.
It shall be unlawful to neglect or fail to install or maintain a stormwater best management practice as shown on an approved site plan where the stormwater best management practice has been reviewed and approved by the stormwater management division of the department of public works.
In 1991, the City was issued a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality that regulates stormwater runoff.
The permit outlines the required best management practices (BMPs) and programs that must be implemented to prevent pollution, reduce flooding, and maintain the public stormwater infrastructure. With the issuance of this permit, the City introduced the Storm Water Fee Program.