(a) It is prohibited to establish, use, maintain or continue illicit connections to the municipal stormwater system, or to commence or continue any illicit discharges to the municipal stormwater system.
(b) The Utility shall locate and focus illicit discharge inspection efforts upon priority areas likely to have illicit discharges, including land uses associated with potentially polluting activities, areas where pollution complaints have been registered in the past, and areas with storage of large quantities of materials that could result in spills.
(c) Upon notification or discovery of a suspected illicit discharge, the Utility shall, within 15 days, initiate an investigation of the same to discover the source of the connection or discharge, the nature and volume of discharge, and the party responsible for the connection or discharge. If an imminent threat to water quality is alleged or suspected, the Utility shall immediately conduct this inspection.
(d) Elimination of illicit discharges shall be timely made at the cost of the party responsible for the discharge. The Utility may recover these costs and/or impose sanctions for illicit discharges as authorized by this article or refer the violation to WVDEP for further enforcement action.
(e) The Utility shall operate and publicize a public spill hot-line reporting system.
(f) The Utility shall report annually to City Council and WVDEP all illicit discharge elimination activities, including inspections, public complaints, and all follow-up actions regarding an actual or suspected illicit discharge.
(Ord. 2016-10-2. Passed 11-7-16.)