For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates, or requires, a different meaning.
100-YEAR EVENT. A rainfall, runoff, or flood event having a 1% probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. A 24-hour storm duration is assumed unless otherwise noted.
ADVERSE IMPACTS. Any negative impact on plant, soil, air, or water resources affecting their beneficial uses, including recreation, aesthetics, aquatic habitat, quality, and quantity.
APPLICANT. Any person, firm, or governmental agency who executes the necessary forms to procure official approval of a development or permit to carry out construction of a new development or redevelopment from the county.
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION. The elevation at all locations delineating the level of flooding resulting from the 100-year frequency flood event, which has a 1% probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The base flood elevation at any location is defined in the “County of Rock Island Floodplain Ordinance” as codified in this chapter.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS). Refers to management practices and methods to control pollutants in stormwater. BMPs are of two types: SOURCE CONTROLS (nonstructural) and TREATMENT CONTROLS (structural). SOURCE CONTROLS are practices that prevent pollution by reducing potential pollutants at their source before they come into contact with stormwater. TREATMENT CONTROLS remove pollutants from stormwater. The selection, application, and maintenance of BMPs must be sufficient to prevent or reduce the likelihood of pollutants entering the storm drainage system. Specific BMPs may be imposed by the county and are discussed further in §§ 152.160 through 154.169.
BUILDING OFFICIAL. The officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of the International Building Code as adopted for the county.
BUILDING PERMIT. A permit issued by the county for the construction, erection, or alteration of a structure or building, and the related ground and surface preparation prior to and after completion of construction, erection, or alteration of a structure or building.
BYPASS FLOWS. Stormwater runoff from upstream properties’ tributary to a property’s drainage system, but not under its control.
CERTIFY or CERTIFICATION. Formally attesting that the specific inspections and tests were performed, and that such inspections and tests comply with the applicable requirements of this chapter.
CHANNEL. Any defined river, stream, creek, brook, natural or artificial depression, ponded area, on stream lake or impoundment, abandoned mine, flowage, slough, ditch, conduit, culvert, gully, ravine, wash, or natural or human-made drainage way, which has a definite bed and bank or shoreline, in or into which surface or groundwater flows, either perennially or intermittently.
CHANNEL MODIFICATION. The alteration of a channel by changing the physical dimensions or materials of its bed or banks. CHANNEL MODIFICATION includes damming, riprapping (or other armoring), filling, widening, deepening, straightening, relocating, lining, and significant removal of bottom or woody rooted vegetation. CHANNEL MODIFICATION does not include the human-made clearing of debris or removal of trash.
CLEARING. Any activity which removes the natural vegetative ground cover.
COMMERCIAL. Pertaining to any business, trade, industry, or other activity engaged in for profit business.
COMPENSATORY STORAGE. An artificially excavated, hydraulically equivalent volume of storage within the floodplain used to balance the loss of natural flood storage capacity when fill or structures are placed within the floodplain.
CONDUIT. Any channel, pipe, sewer, or culvert used for the conveyance or movement of water, whether open or closed.
CONSTRUCTION SITE. Any location where clearing, grading, filling, and the like activity occurs.
CONTAMINATED. Containing harmful quantities of pollutants.
CONTRACTOR. Any person or firm performing or managing construction work at a construction site, including any construction manager, general contractor, or subcontractor. Also includes, but is not limited to, earthwork, paving, building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, or landscaping contractors, and material suppliers delivering materials to the site.
COUNTY. The County of Rock Island, Illinois.
DAM. As defined by the State Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources.
DESIGNEE(S). A person, firm, corporation, governmental agency, or any other entity that the Director of Zoning and Building may appoint to review any application, and from whom may require the permittee to obtain written approval, fees, and assistance with enforcement of all requirements of this chapter. Examples may include, but are not limited to, municipalities within one and one-half miles of the proposed project, the Soil and Water Conservation District, the County Public Works Department, professional engineers licensed in a relevant field, and the like.
DETENTION BASIN. A facility constructed or modified to provide for the temporary storage of stormwater runoff and the controlled release by gravity of this runoff at a prescribed rate during and after a flood or storm.
DETENTION TIME. The amount of time stormwater is held within a detention basin.
DEVELOPMENT. Any human-made change to real estate or property, including:
(1) The division or subdivision of any duly recorded parcel of property;
(2) Construction, reconstruction, or placement of a building or any addition to a building valued at more than $1,000;
(3) Installation of a manufactured home on a site, preparing a site for a manufactured home, or installing a travel trailer on a site for more than 180 days per year;
(4) Construction of roads, bridges, or similar projects;
(5) Redevelopment of a site;
(6) Filling, dredging, grading, clearing, excavating, paving, drilling, mining, or other nonagricultural alterations of a ground surface;
(7) Storage of materials or deposit of solid or liquid waste; and
(8) Any other activity that might alter the magnitude, frequency, direction, or velocity of stormwater flows from a property.
DEVELOPMENT AREA. In order to preclude inappropriate phasing of developments to circumvent the intent of this chapter, when a proposed development activity will occur on a lot or parcel of land that has contiguous lots or parcels of lands owned by the same property owner, then the criteria as defined in this section will be applied to the total land area compiled from aggregate ownership parcels, and shall be known as the DEVELOPMENT AREA.
DISCHARGE. Any addition or release of any pollutant, stormwater, or any other substance whatsoever into storm drainage system.
DISCHARGER. Any person who causes, allows, permits, or is otherwise responsible for a discharge, including, without limitation, any owner of a construction site or industrial facility.
DOMESTIC SEWAGE. Sewage originating primarily from kitchen, bathroom, and laundry sources, including waste from food preparation, dishwashing, garbage grinding, toilets, baths, showers, and sinks.
DRAINAGE PLAN. A plan, including engineering drawings and supporting calculations, which describes the existing stormwater drainage system and environmental features, including grading, as well as proposed alterations or changes to the drainage system and environment of a property.
DRY BASIN. A detention basin designed to drain after temporary storage of stormwater flows and to normally be dry over much of its bottom area.
EARTHWORK. The disturbance of soils on a site associated with clearing, grading, or excavation activities.
EROSION. The general process whereby soil or earth is moved by rainfall, flowing water, wind, or wave action.
EXCAVATION. Any act by which organic matter, earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other similar material, is cut into, dug, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated, or bulldozed, and shall include the conditions resulting from such actions.
EXCESS STORMWATER RUNOFF. The volume and rate of flow of stormwater discharged from a new development or redevelopment which is or will be in excess of that volume and rate which existed before development or redevelopment.
EXISTING GRADE. The vertical location of the existing ground surface prior to excavation or filling.
FACILITY. Any building, structure, installation, process, or activity from which there is or may be a discharge of a pollutant.
FERTILIZER. A substance or compound that contains an essential plant nutrient element in a form available to plants and is used primarily for its essential plant nutrient element content in promoting or stimulating growth of a plant or improving the quality of a crop, or a mixture of two or more fertilizers.
FILL. Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other material is deposited, placed, replaced, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported, or moved by humans to a new location, and shall include the conditions resulting there from.
FILL MATERIAL, APPROVED. Uncontaminated, non-water-soluable, non-decomposable inert solid material. Clean fill includes soil, rock, stone, dredged material, used asphalt and brick, block or concrete masonry units (CMUs) that have been broken so as not to become “critter condos,” used concrete that has been broken into pieces smaller than 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches with no protruding bar from construction, and demolition activities that is separate from other waste and recognizable as such. Unused asphalt would not meet the definition of clean fill.
FINAL GRADE. The vertical location of the ground surface after grading work is completed in accordance with the plans.
FIRE PROTECTION WATER. Any water, and any substances or materials contained therein, used by any person to control or extinguish a fire, or to inspect or test fire equipment.
GARBAGE. Putrescible animal and vegetable waste materials from the handling, preparation, cooking, or consumption of food, including waste materials from markets, storage facilities, and the handling and sale of produce and other food products.
GRADING. The excavation or fill, or any combination thereof, and shall include the conditions resulting from any excavation or fill.
GROUNDWATER. Any water residing below the surface of the ground or percolating into or out of the ground.
HARMFUL QUANTITY. The amount of any substance that the Zoning and Building Director determines will cause an adverse impact to storm drainage system or will contribute towards the failure of the county to meet the water quality based requirements of the NPDES permit for discharges from the MS4.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE. Any substance listed in table 302.4 of 40 C.F.R. part 302.
HAZARDOUS WASTE. Any substance identified or listed as a hazardous waste by the EPA pursuant to 40 C.F.R. part 261.
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW). Any material generated in a household (including single and multiple residences) that would be classified as hazardous pursuant to the IEPA.
HYDROGRAPH. A graph showing for a given location on a stream or conduit the flow rate with respect to time.
HYDROGRAPH METHOD. This method estimates runoff volume and runoff hydrographs for the point of interest by generating hydrographs for individual subareas, combining them, and routing them through stream lengths and reservoir structures. Factors such as rainfall amount and distribution, runoff curve number, time of concentration, and travel time are included.
ILLEGAL DISCHARGE. See definition of ILLICIT DISCHARGE.
ILLICIT CONNECTION. Any drain or conveyance, whether on the surface or subsurface, which allows an illicit discharge to enter the storm drainage system.
ILLICIT DISCHARGE. Any discharge to the storm drainage system that is prohibited under this chapter.
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE. The area of property that is covered by materials other than soil and vegetation and that has no intended capacity to absorb stormwater, such as parking lots, roadways, driveways, sidewalks, patios, tennis courts, roofs, and other structures.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE or COMMERCIAL WASTE. Any wastes produced as a byproduct of any industrial, institutional, or commercial process or operation, other than domestic sewage.
INFILTRATION. The passage or movement of water into the soil surfaces.
JURISDICTION. The County of Rock Island, Illinois, and designees.
LOESSAL SOIL. A sediment, commonly non-stratified and unconsolidated, composed predominately of silt sized particles with accessory clay and sand.
LOT. An individual platted parcel in an approved subdivision.
MAJOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM. The portion of a drainage system needed to store and convey flows beyond the capacity of the minor drainage system.
MAY. Discretionary.
MECHANICAL FLUID. Any fluid used in the operation and maintenance of machinery, vehicles, and any other equipment, including lubricants, antifreeze, petroleum products, oil, and fuel.
MINOR DRAINAGE SYSTEM. The portion of a drainage system designed for the convenience of the public. It consists of street gutters, storm sewers, small open channels, and swales and, where human-made, is to be designed to handle the ten-year runoff event.
MITIGATION. When the prescribed controls are not sufficient and additional measures are required to offset the development, including those measures necessary to minimize the negative effects which stormwater drainage and development activities might have on the public health, safety, and welfare. Examples of MITIGATION include, but are not limited to, compensatory storage, soil erosion and sedimentation control, and channel restoration.
MOBILE COMMERCIAL COSMETIC CLEANING or MOBILE WASHING. Power washing, steam cleaning, and any other method of mobile cosmetic cleaning of vehicles and/or exterior surfaces, engaged in for commercial purposes or related to a commercial activity.
MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM (MS4). The system of conveyances, including roads, streets, curbs, gutters, ditches, inlets, drains, catch basins, pipes, tunnels, culverts, channels, detention basins, and ponds owned and operated by the county and designed or used for collecting or conveying stormwater, and not used for collecting or conveying sanitary sewage.
NPDES. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
NPDES PERMIT. A permit issued by the IEPA that authorizes the discharge of pollutants to waters of the United States, whether the permit is applicable on an individual, group, or general area wide basis.
NATURAL. Conditions resulting from physical, chemical, and biological processes without intervention by humans.
NATURAL DRAINAGE. Channels formed in the existing surface topography of the earth prior to changes made by unnatural causes.
NOTICE OF VIOLATION. A written notice detailing any violations of this chapter and any action expected of the violators.
OIL. Any kind of oil in any form, including, but not limited to, petroleum, fuel oil, crude oil, synthetic oil, motor oil, cooking oil, grease, sludge, oil refuse, and oil mixed with waste.
ONE-YEAR EVENT. A rainfall, runoff, or flood event having a 100% probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. A 24-hour storm duration is assumed unless otherwise noted.
OWNER. The person who owns a facility, part of a facility, or land including the contract seller and contract purchaser.
PARCEL. A contiguous lot or tract of land under common ownership. A lot or tract of land is land intended as a unit for the purpose of development or transfer of ownership.
PEAK FLOW. The maximum rate of flow of water at a given point in a channel or conduit.
PERMITTEE. Any person to whom a building permit or a grading and drainage permit is issued.
PERSON. Any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company, corporation, association, joint stock company, trust, estate, governmental entity, or any other legal entity, or their legal representatives, agents, or assigns, including all federal, state, and local governmental entities.
PESTICIDE. A substance or mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or migrate any pest.
PET WASTE or ANIMAL WASTE. Excrement and other waste from domestic animals.
PETROLEUM PRODUCT. A product that is obtained from distilling and processing crude oil and that is capable of being used as a fuel or lubricant in a motor vehicle or aircraft, including motor oil, motor gasoline, gasohol, other alcohol blended fuels, aviation gasoline, kerosene, distillate fuel oil, and #1 and #2 diesel.
POLLUTANT. Any substance attributable to water pollution, including, but not limited to, rubbish, garbage, solid waste, litter, debris, yard waste, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, pet waste, animal waste, domestic sewage, industrial waste, sanitary sewage, wastewater, septic tank waste, mechanical fluid, oil, motor oil, used oil, grease, petroleum products, antifreeze, surfactants, solvents, detergents, cleaning agents, paint, heavy metals, toxins, household hazardous waste, small quantity generator waste, hazardous substances, hazardous waste, soil, and sediment.
POLLUTION. The alteration of the physical, thermal, chemical, or biological quality of, or the contamination of, any water that renders the water harmful, detrimental, or injurious to humans, animal life, plant life, property, or public health, safety, or welfare, or impairs the usefulness or the public enjoyment of the water for any lawful or reasonable purpose.
POSITIVE DRAINAGE. Provision for overland paths for all areas of a property including depressional areas that may also be drained by storm sewer.
POTABLE WATER. Water that has been treated to drinking water standards and is safe for human consumption.
PRIVATE DRAINAGE SYSTEM. All privately or publicly owned ground, surfaces, structures, or systems, excluding the MS4, that contribute to or convey stormwater, including, but not limited to, roofs, gutters, downspouts, lawns, driveways, pavement, roads, streets, curbs, gutters, ditches, inlets, drains, catch basins, pipes, tunnels, culverts, channels, detention basins, ponds, draws, swales, streams, and any ground surface.
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PLANS. Engineering drawings subject to approval by the county engineer for the construction of public improvements.
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR. The Director of Public Works for the county, or his or her designee.
QUALIFIED PERSON. A person who possesses the required certification, license, or appropriate competence, skills, and ability as demonstrated by sufficient education, training, and/or experience to perform a specific activity in a timely and complete manner consistent with the regulatory requirements and generally accepted industry standards for such activity.
RELEASE. To dump, spill, leak, pump, pour, emit, empty, inject, leach, dispose or otherwise introduce into the storm drainage system.
RUBBISH. Non-putrescible solid waste, excluding ashes, that consist of:
(1) Combustible waste materials, including paper, rags, cartons, wood, excelsior, furniture, rubber, plastics, yard trimmings, leaves, and similar materials; and
(2) Non-combustible waste materials, including glass, crockery, tin cans, aluminum cans, metal furniture, and similar materials that do not burn at ordinary incinerator temperatures (1,600F to 1,800F).
SANITARY SEWAGE. The domestic sewage and/or industrial waste that is discharged into any sanitary or combined sewer system and passes through the sanitary or combined sewer system to a sewage treatment plant for treatment.
SANITARY SEWER. The system of pipes, conduits, and other conveyances which carry industrial waste and domestic sewage from residential dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and institutions, whether treated or untreated, to a sewage treatment plant (and to which stormwater, surface water, and groundwater are not intentionally admitted).
SEDIMENT. Soil (or mud) that has been disturbed or eroded and transported naturally by water, wind, gravity, or equipment tracking (tires, vehicles).
SEDIMENTATION. The process that deposits soils, debris, and other materials either on other ground surfaces or in bodies of water or stormwater drainage systems.
SEPTIC TANK WASTE. Any domestic sewage from holding tanks such as vessels, chemical toilets, campers, trailers, septic tanks, and aerated tanks.
SHALL. Mandatory.
SITE. The land or water area where any facility or activity is physically located or conducted, including adjacent land used in connection with the facility or activity.
SLOPE DISTURBANCE LINE. The line which delineates relatively level building areas from areas where slopes exceed 7% and where special precautions must be taken.
SMALL QUANTITY GENERATOR WASTE. Any hazardous waste generated by a small quantity generator as defined by IEPA.
SOLID WASTE. Any garbage, rubbish, refuse, and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, municipal, commercial, construction, mining, or agricultural operations, and residential, community, and institutional activities.
STATE. The State of Illinois.
STORM DRAINAGE SYSTEM. All surfaces, structures, and systems that contribute to or convey stormwater, including private drainage systems, the MS4, surface water, groundwater, waters of the state, and waters of the United States.
STORM SEWER. A closed conduit for conveying collected stormwater.
STORMWATER. Runoff resulting from precipitation.
STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLAN (SWP3). A document that describes the best management practices to be implemented at a site, to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants.
STREAM. Any river, creek, brook, branch, flowage, ravine, or natural or human-made drainageway which has a definite bed and banks or shoreline, in or into which surface or groundwater flows, either perennially or intermittently.
STRIPPING. Any activity which removes the vegetative surface cover, including tree removal, by spraying or clearing, and storage or removal of topsoil.
SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT. Includes activities associated with the platting of any parcel of land into two or more lots and includes all construction activity taking place thereon.
SURFACE WATER. Water bodies and any water temporarily residing on the surface of the ground, including oceans, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, ponds, streams, puddles, channelized flow, and runoff.
TEN-YEAR EVENT. A runoff, rainfall, or flood event having a 10% probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. A 24-hour storm duration is assumed unless otherwise noted.
TIME OF CONCENTRATION. The elapsed time for stormwater to flow from the most hydraulically remote point in a drainage basin to a particular point of interest in the watershed.
TRIBUTARY WATERSHED. All of the land surface area that contributes runoff to a given point.
TWO-YEAR EVENT. A runoff, rainfall, or flood event having 2% probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. A 24-hour storm duration is assumed unless otherwise noted.
UNCONTAMINATED. Not containing harmful quantities of pollutants.
USED OIL or USED MOTOR OIL. Any oil that, as a result of use, storage, or handling, has become unsuitable for its original purpose because of impurities or the loss of original properties.
UTILITY AGENCY. Private utility companies, the county, or contractors working for private utility companies or the county, engaged in the construction or maintenance of utility distribution lines and services, including water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, electric, gas, telephone, television, and communication services.
VACANT. Land on which there are no structures or only structures which are secondary to the use or maintenance of the land itself.
WASTEWATER. Any water or other liquid, other than uncontaminated stormwater, discharged from a facility.
WATER OF THE STATE or WATER. Any groundwater, percolating or otherwise, lakes, bays, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, marshes, inlets, canals, inside the territorial limits of the state, and all other bodies of surface water, natural or artificial, navigable or non-navigable, and including the beds and banks of all watercourses and bodies of surface water, that are wholly or partially inside or bordering the state or inside the jurisdiction of the state.
WATER QUALITY STANDARD. The designation of a body or segment of surface water in the state for desirable uses and the narrative and numerical criteria deemed by state or federal regulatory standards to be necessary to protect those uses.
WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES. All waters which are currently used, were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use in interstate or foreign commerce, including all waters which are subject to the ebb and the flow of the tide; all interstate waters, including interstate wetlands; all other waters the use, degradation, or destruction of which would affect or could affect interstate or foreign commerce; all impoundments of waters otherwise defined as waters of the United States under this definition; all tributaries of waters identified in this definition; all wetlands adjacent to waters identified in this definition; and any waters within the federal definition of WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES at 40 C.F.R. § 122.2, but not including any waste treatment systems, treatment ponds, or lagoons designed to meet the requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act.
WATERSHED. All land area drained by, or contributing water to, the same channel, lake, marsh, stormwater facility, groundwater, or depressional area.
WET BASIN. A detention basin designed to maintain a permanent pool of water after the temporary storage of stormwater runoff.
WETLANDS.
(1) Defined by regulation as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.”
(2) WETLANDS generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. For general, but not inclusive, locations of designated WETLANDS, refer to mapping prepared jointly by the U.S. Department of Interior, Fish, and Wildlife Service and the State Department of Natural Resources, Office of Resource Conservation, National Wetlands Inventory Mapping, 1987.
(3) More specific WETLAND information is published in the Rock River Wetlands Special Area Management Plan, by the Bi-State Regional Commission in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
(4) The applicant may be required to provide a field investigation by a qualified wetland delineator.
YARD WASTE. Leaves, grass clippings, tree limbs, brush, soil, rocks, or debris that result from landscaping, gardening, yard maintenance, or land clearing operations.
ZONING AND BUILDING DIRECTOR. The Director of Zoning and Building for the county, or his or her designee.
(Ord. passed - -; Ord. passed 1-21-2014)