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The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the Village of Highland Hills through the regulation of illicit discharges to the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). This chapter establishes methods for controlling the introduction of pollutants into the MS4 in order to comply with requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit process as required by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). The objectives of this chapter are:
(a) To prohibit illicit discharges and illegal connections to the MS4.
(b) To establish legal authority to carry out inspections, monitoring procedures, and enforcement actions necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter.
(Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
This chapter shall apply to all residential, commercial, industrial, or institutional facilities responsible for discharges to the MS4 and on any lands in the Village of Highland Hills, except for those discharges generated by the activities detailed in Section 1355.07(a)(1) to (a)(3) of this chapter. (Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
The words and terms used in this chapter, unless otherwise expressly stated, shall have the following meaning:
(a) Best Management Practices (BMPs): means schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, general good housekeeping practices, pollution prevention and educational practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants to storm water. BMPs also include treatment practices, operating procedures, and practices to control site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or water disposal, or drainage from raw materials storage.
(b) Community: means the Village of Highland Hills, its designated representatives, boards, or commissions.
(c) Environmental Protection Agency or United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA): means the United States Environmental Protection Agency, including but not limited to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), or any duly authorized official of said agency.
(d) Floatable Material: in general, this term means any foreign matter that may float or remain suspended in the water column, and includes but is not limited to, plastic, aluminum cans, wood products, bottles, and paper products.
(e) Hazardous Material: means any material including any substance, waste, or combination thereof, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may cause, or significantly contribute to, a substantial present or potential hazard to human health, safety, property, or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed.
(f) Illicit Discharge: as defined at 40 C.F.R. 122.26 (b)(2) means any discharge to an MS4 that is not composed entirely of storm water, except for those discharges to an MS4 pursuant to a NPDES permit or noted in Section 1355.07 of this chapter.
(g) Illegal Connection: means any drain or conveyance, whether on the surface or subsurface, that allows an illicit discharge to enter the MS4.
(h) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4): as defined at 40 C.F.R. 122.26 (b)(8), municipal separate storm sewer system means a conveyance or system of conveyances (including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains):
(1) Owned or operated by a State, city, town, borough, county, parish, district, municipality, township, county, district, association, or other public body (created by or pursuant to State law) having jurisdiction over sewage, industrial wastes, including special districts under State law such as a sewer district, or similar entity, or an Indian tribe or an authorized Indian tribal organization, or a designated and approved management agency under section 208 of the Clean Water Act that discharges to waters of the United States;
(2) Designed or used for collecting or conveying storm water;
(3) Which is not a combined sewer; and
(4) Which is not part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) as defined at 40 C.F.R. 122.2.
(i) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Storm Water Discharge Permit: means a permit issued by EPA (or by a State under authority delegated pursuant to 33 USC § 1342(b)) that authorizes the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States, whether the permit is applicable on an individual, group, or general areawide basis.
(j) Off-Lot Discharging Household Sewage Treatment System: means a system designed to treat household sewage on-site and discharges treated wastewater effluent off the property into a storm water or surface water conveyance or system.
(k) Owner/Operator: means any individual, association, organization, partnership, firm, corporation, or other entity recognized by law and acting as either the owner or on the owner's behalf.
(l) Pollutant: means anything that causes or contributes to pollution. Pollutants may include, but are not limited to, paints, varnishes, solvents, oil and other automotive fluids, non-hazardous liquid and solid wastes, yard wastes, refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter or other discarded or abandoned objects, floatable materials, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, hazardous materials, wastes, sewage, dissolved and particulate metals, animal wastes, residues that result from constructing a structure, and noxious or offensive matter of any kind.
(m) Storm Water: means any surface flow, runoff, and drainage consisting entirely of water from any form of natural precipitation and resulting from such precipitation.
(n) Wastewater: means the spent water of a community. From the standpoint of a source, it may be a combination of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions.
(Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
Compliance with the provisions of this chapter shall not relieve any person from responsibility for damage to any person otherwise imposed by law. The provisions of this chapter are promulgated to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the public and are not designed for the benefit of any individual or for the benefit of any particular parcel of property.
(Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
(a) Where this chapter is in conflict with other provisions of law or ordinance, the most restrictive provisions, as determined by the Village of Highland Hills, shall prevail.
(b) If any clause, section, or provision of this chapter is declared invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the validity of the remainder shall not be affected thereby.
(c) This chapter shall not be construed as authorizing any person to maintain a nuisance on their property, and compliance with the provisions of this chapter shall not be a defense in any action to abate such a nuisance.
(d) Failure of the Village of Highland Hills to observe or recognize hazardous or unsightly conditions or to recommend corrective measures shall not relieve the site owner from the responsibility for the condition or damage resulting therefrom, and shall not result in the Village of Highland Hills, its officers, employees, or agents being responsible for any condition or damage resulting therefrom.
(Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
The Village of Highland Hills shall administer, implement, and enforce the provisions of this chapter . The Village of Highland Hills may contract with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health to conduct inspections and monitoring and to assist with enforcement actions.
(Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
(a) Prohibition of Illicit Discharges. No person shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, an illicit discharge into the MS4. The commencement, conduct, or continuance of any illicit discharge to the MS4 is prohibited except as described below:
(1) Water line flushing; landscape irrigation; diverted stream flows; rising ground waters; uncontaminated ground water infiltration (infiltration is defined as water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system, including sewer service connections and foundation drains, from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, or manholes. Infiltration does not include, and is distinguished from, inflow); uncontaminated pumped ground water; discharges from potable water sources; foundation drains; air conditioning condensate; irrigation water; springs; water from crawl space pumps; footing drains; lawn watering; individual residential car washing; flows from riparian habitats and wetlands; dechlorinated/debrominated/ desalinated swimming pool discharges; street wash water with dry cleanup method and no detergents to minimize pollutants; discharges or flows from fire-fighting activities (not planned exercises); dye tests. These discharges are exempt until such time as they are determined by the Village of Highland Hills or Ohio EPA to be significant contributors of pollutants to the MS4.
(2) Discharges specified in writing by the Village of Highland Hills as being necessary to protect public health and safety.
(3) Discharges from off-lot discharging household sewage treatment systems existing prior to January 1, 2007 and permitted by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health for the purpose of discharging treated sewage effluent in accordance with Ohio Administrative Code 3701-29, or other applicable Cuyahoga Board of Health regulations, until such time as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issues an NPDES permitting mechanism for household sewage treatment systems existing prior to January 1, 2007. These discharges are exempt unless such discharges are deemed to be creating a public health nuisance by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. Discharges from new or replacement off-lot household sewage treatment systems installed after January 1, 2007, are not exempt from the requirements of this regulation.
In compliance with the Village of Highland Hills Storm Water Management Program, discharges from all off- lot discharging household sewage treatment systems must either be eliminated or have coverage under an appropriate NPDES permit issued and approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. When such permit coverage is available for systems existing prior to January 1, 2007, discharges from off-lot discharging household sewage treatment systems existing prior to January 1, 2007, will no longer be exempt from the requirements of this regulation.
(b) Prohibition of Illegal Connections. The construction, use, maintenance, or continued existence of illegal connections to the MS4 is prohibited.
(1) This prohibition expressly includes, without limitation, illegal connections made in the past, regardless of whether the connection was permissible under law or practices applicable or prevailing at the time of connection.
(2) A person is considered to be in violation of this chapter if the person connects a line conveying illicit discharges to the MS4 or allows such a connection to continue.
(Ord. 2022-24. Passed 4-13-22.)
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