The purpose of this chapter is to promote the public health, safety and welfare within the municipality by maintaining the natural hydrologic regime and minimizing the impacts described in § 1043.02 through provisions designed to:
(a) Promote alternative project designs and layouts that minimize the impacts on surface and groundwater;
(b) Promote nonstructural best management practices (BMPs);
(c) Minimize increases in runoff stormwater volume;
(d) Minimize impervious surfaces;
(e) Manage accelerated stormwater runoff and erosion and sedimentation problems and stormwater runoff impacts at their source by regulating activities that cause these problems;
(f) Provide review procedures and performance standards for stormwater planning and management;
(g) Utilize and preserve existing natural drainage systems as much as possible;
(h) Manage stormwater impacts close to the runoff source, requiring a minimum of structures and relying on natural processes;
(i) Focus on infiltration of stormwater to maintain base flow, to prevent degradation of surface and groundwater quality and to otherwise protect water resources;
(j) Protect base flows and quality of streams and watercourses, where possible;
(k) Meet legal water quality requirements under state law, including regulations at 25 Pa. Code Ch. 93.4.a, requiring protection and maintenance of “existing uses” and maintenance of the level of water quality to support those uses in all streams, and the protection and maintenance of water quality in “special protection” streams;
(l) Address the quality and quantity of stormwater discharges from the development site;
(m) Provide standards to meet certain NPDES MS4 permit requirements;
(n) Implement an illicit discharge detection and elimination program that addresses non-stormwater discharges into the municipality’s separate storm sewer system (MS4);
(o) Preserve the flood-carrying capacity of streams;
(p) Prevent accelerated scour, erosion and sedimentation of stream channels;
(q) Provide performance standards and design criteria based on watershed-wide stormwater management planning; and
(r) Provide proper operation and maintenance of all permanent stormwater management facilities and BMPs that are implemented within the municipality.
(Ord. 928, passed 6-18-2014)