The City of North Pole 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 North Pole 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 North Pole will only provide construction permits to projects that establish a plan to manage stormwater runoff occurring during the construction process. The City of North Pole, 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 North Pole has the authority to inspect stormwater facilities and practices in order to ascertain that they are properly maintained and functioning.
Within the Fairbanks Urbanized Area, The City of North Pole operates their portion of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) under North Pole Municipal Code 15.74 and APDES Permit no. AKS-053406. The City of North Pole has jurisdiction over privately and some publicly funded projects within the urbanized area of the North Pole city limits. The city’s MS4 permit requires North Pole to administer and enforce compliance with stormwater discharge permits in an effort to decrease stormwater pollutants and increase overall water quality.
The City of North Pole submittal requirements for privately funded projects encompassing 1 or more acres of land include a Permanent Storm Water Control Plan (PSWCP), Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), and a copy of the Alaska Notice of Intent (NOI). The City of North Pole submittal requirements for publicly funded projects encompassing 1 or more acres of land includes a copy of the NOI.
A detailed map of the urbanized area of North Pole is included as Figure 3 on Page 18. Similar to the City of Fairbanks, the project submittals listed above are included as line items on the City of North Pole Building Department Residential and Commercial Building Permit Applications, and shall be submitted through the Building Department. The City of North Pole will review each PSWCP and SWPPP submittal to determine their conformance with the provisions of the ordinances. Within ten business days after receiving the project submittal(s), the City of North Pole will, in writing: a. Issue a Letter of Non-objection to the PSWCP and/or SWPPP; b. Issue a Letter of Non-objection to the PSWCP and/or SWPPP subject to such reasonable conditions as may be necessary to secure substantially the objectives of the ordinances, and issue the permit subject to these conditions; or c. Disapprove the PSWCP and/or SWPPP, indicating the reason(s) and procedure for submitting a revised application and/or submission. For construction activity that will result in a ground disturbance of greater than or equal to one acre, the City of North Pole will inspect each construction site at least once per year. A copy of the latest plan review and inspection fee schedule is available through the Building Department.
Fairbanks & North Pole Storm Water Management Program Guide