(a) Findings. The Village finds that storm water regulation and management is a matter of public health, safety, and welfare because:
(1) Water bodies, roadways, structures, and other property within, and downstream of the Village are at times subjected to flooding;
(2) Flooding is a danger to the lives and property of the public and is also a danger to the natural resources of the Village and the region;
(3) Changes in land use alter the hydrologic response of watersheds, resulting in increased stormwater runoff rates and volumes, which further result in increased flooding, increased stream channel erosion, and increased sediment transport and deposition;
(4) Stormwater runoff produced by changes in land use contributes to increased quantities of water-borne pollutants;
(5) Increases of stormwater runoff, soil erosion, and non-point source pollution have occurred as a result of changes in land use, and cause deterioration of the water resources within and downstream of the Village;
(6) Increased storm water runoff rates and volumes, and the sediments and pollutants associated with stormwater runoff from future earth change projects within the Village will, absent reasonable regulation and control, adversely affect the Village water bodies and water resources, the resources contained therein, and those of downstream municipalities;
(7) Stormwater runoff, soil erosion, and non-point source pollution can be controlled and minimized by the regulation of stormwater runoff from earth changes and by the use of best management practices and other innovative means;
(8) Adopting and implementing the standards, criteria and procedures contained in this chapter will address many of the deleterious effects of stormwater runoff, both from a water quality and a water quantity perspective;
(9) Adopting these standards is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, and welfare and mitigation of adverse impacts from stormwater runoff.
(b) Objectives. Based on the findings listed above, the Village has established the following objectives to guide administration, decision-making, and enforcement of this chapter. It is therefore the purpose of this chapter to establish minimum stormwater management requirements and controls to accomplish, among others, the following objectives:
(1) To reduce flood damage;
(2) To minimize increased storm water runoff rates and volumes due to changes in land use;
(3) To minimize the physical deterioration of existing watercourses, culverts and bridges, and other structures;
(4) To encourage water recharge into the ground where geologically favorable conditions exist;
(5) To prevent an increase in non-point source pollution;
(6) To maintain the integrity of stream channels for their biological functions, as well as for drainage and other purposes;
(7) To minimize the impact of changes in land use upon stream bank and streambed stability;
(8) To reduce erosion from earth change or construction projects;
(9) To preserve and protect water supply facilities and water resources by means of controlling increased flood discharges, stream erosion, and runoff pollution;
(10) To reduce stormwater runoff rates and volumes, soil erosion, and non-point source pollution, wherever practicable, from lands proposed for redevelopment that were not previously developed with stormwater management controls meeting the purposes and standards of this chapter;
(11) To reduce the adverse impact of changing land use on neighboring properties and water bodies and, to that end, this ordinance establishes minimum standards to protect water bodies from degradation resulting from changing land use.
(Ord. 154. Passed 10-12-11.)