Pennsylvania Threatens Legal Action Against Seven Towns

The municipalities - Bristol Township and Langhorne Borough in Bucks County; Valley, West Bradford, West Caln and Westtown townships in Chester County; and Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County - are owners of municipal separate storm sewer systems, or MS4s, and are required to submit an annual report to DEP by June 9 of each year.

The municipalities were late in submitting the 2006 report and have yet to submit a report for 2007. DEP's order and deadline applies to the 2007 annual report.

According to DEP's Southeast Regional Director Joseph Feola, these regulations address the water quality of runoff that enters streams and rivers through storm sewers.

"Residents of these seven municipalities deserve the benefits that will come from looking after their stormwater discharges more carefully," Feola said. "Stormwater runoff can degrade water quality and cause localized flooding. This initiative is designed to help us protect the environment and control runoff every time it rains."

MS4s are required to implement and enforce a stormwater management program to protect water quality and satisfy federal requirements by reducing pollutant discharge to the maximum extent practical.

The MS4 program, begun in 2002, is an effort to improve water quality across the state and it is a key component of Pennsylvania's comprehensive stormwater management program.

Pennsylvania administers the federal government's stormwater regulations, which require communities to complete certain activities at scheduled intervals over the next several years. Communities must adopt a local stormwater ordinance, accurately map storm sewer systems, conduct initial outreach activities to raise public awareness of reducing polluted runoff, and document accomplishments in an annual report.

Unmanaged or poorly managed stormwater can result in stream-bank scour, stream destabilization, sedimentation, loss of groundwater recharge and base flow, localized flooding, habitat modification, and water quality and quantity impairment.

Conversely, stormwater managed properly through established best management practices can remove pollutants, recharge groundwater through retention and infiltration, provide base flow for surface water, and maintain the stability and environmental integrity of waterways and wetlands.

"To protect and sustain groundwater and surface water resources over the long-term, stormwater should be managed as an environmental resource rather than as a waste to be discharged and moved downstream quickly," Feola said. "These plans protect our fresh water supply, while balancing the needs of businesses, the community and recreational users."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.