971.03 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS.
   For the purpose of Chapter 971, Stormwater Management the words and phrases shall be defined as follows, unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
   (a)   “Best Management Practices” or “BMPs” means measures including structural and non-structural stormwater management and erosion control practices that are determined by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) or Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to be the most effective, practical means of preventing or reducing point source or non-point source pollution inputs to stormwater runoff and water bodies.
   (b)   “Contamination” means the presence of or entry into a public water supply system, the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) or waters of the United States of any substance which may be harmful to the public health and/or the quality of water.
   (c)   “Development” means any action in preparation for construction activity which results in an alteration of either land or vegetation, including but not limited to clearing, grubbing, grading, filling, excavation or any other development operations and the construction of new facilities, buildings, parking areas, recreational areas, etc.
   (d)   “Discharge” means any substance introduced to the waters of the state or to surface runoff which is collected or channeled by the MS4 which does not lead to treatment works and/or the addition of any pollutant to the waters of the state from a point source.
   (e)   “Director” means the City of Grove City Public Service Director.
   (f)   “Earth Disturbance” means any clearing, grading, excavating, filling, or other alteration of land surface where natural or man-made cover is destroyed in a manner that exposes the underlying soils.
   (g)   “Erosion” means the general process whereby soil or surface material is moved by flowing surface or subsurface water or is worn away by the action of wind, water, ice or gravity.
   (h)   “Impervious Area” means any constructed surface; including but not limited to, rooftops, sidewalks, roads, and parking lots: covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, and stone. These materials seal surfaces, repel water and prevent precipitation and runoff from infiltrating soils.
   (i)   “Larger Common Plan of Development or Sale” means a contiguous area where multiple separate and distinct construction activities may be taking place at different times on different schedules under one plan. For the purposes of determining the area of development, any development of land that was part of a larger common sale or development on or after April 1 of 2003, shall include the cumulative area of disturbance since April 1 of 2003 and meet the appropriate Ohio EPA requirements for that area.
   (j)   “Managed Open Space” is defined as land that is regularly maintained via mowing, fertilizing, landscaping, and other actions that prevent the land from being in a natural state such as single-family residential lawns, golf courses, cemeteries, and other similar types of development.
   (k)   “Pollution” means the alteration of the physical, thermal, chemical, or biological quality of, or the contamination of, any water of the state or water of the United States, that renders the water harmful, detrimental, or injurious to humans, animal life, vegetation, or property, or to the public health, safety, or welfare, or impairs the usefulness or the public enjoyment of the water for any lawful or reasonable purpose.
   (l)   “Rainwater and Land Development Manual” means a manual describing construction and post-construction BMPs and associated specifications prepared by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Soil and Water Conservation. The compilation of technical standards and design specifications are methods of controlling construction related surface runoff, erosion and sedimentation. A copy of the manual may be obtained by contacting the Director of Public Service or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Soil & Water Conservation.
   (m)   “Sediment” means soils or other surface materials, including, but not limited to rock, sand, gravel and organic material or residue associated with or attached to the solid, that can be transported or deposited by the action of wind, water, ice or gravity as a product of erosion or sedimentation.
   (n)   “Stormwater” means water runoff resulting from precipitation, snow melt, or irrigation runoff as defined in 40 Code of Federal Regulation 122.26(b)(13).
   (o)   “Stormwater Master Plan” is a study prepared by a professional engineer to determine specific allowable discharge rates for a larger common development or watershed area. These types of studies are typically initiated due to downstream restrictions or other special circumstances that require a higher level of stormwater control within the study area.
   (p)   “Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan” or “SWP3" means a set of plans and specifications, prepared and approved in accordance with the specific requirements of the City’s Engineer and the current OEPA, NPDES General Stormwater Permit. The SWP3 shall be certified by a licensed professional engineer in the State of Ohio, and shall indicate the stormwater management strategy, including the specific measures and sequencing to be used to manage stormwater on a development site before, during and after construction and shows the details of any earth-disturbing activity on the site.
   (q)   “Stream” means a system including permanent or seasonally flowing water, often with a defined channel (bed and bank), flood plain, and riparian ecosystem. To be classified as a “stream,” the waterway must meet certain requirements as defined by the OEPA and/or US Army Corps of Engineers and may then be classified as either an ephemeral, intermittent or perennial stream.
   (r)   “Structural BMP” is a constructed facility or measure to help protect receiving water quality and control stormwater quantity.
   (s)   “Wetland” means an area that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated or hydric soil conditions as defined by the OEPA and/or US Army Corps of Engineers.
(Ord. C56-15. Passed 9-8-15.)