42-237.4 Purpose

  1. General. The provisions established in this Subpart B are designed to protect, maintain, and enhance public health, safety, environment and general welfare and protect water and aquatic resources by:
    1. Managing (by enforcing standards which shall limit the impact from existing or potential sources of contamination through the regulation of lot sizes and development intensity ) the uses of land and structures encompassed by watersheds in order to maintain the high quality of surface water in these watersheds;
    2. Managing (by establishing minimum requirements and procedures to control the adverse effects of increased post-development stormwater runoff and nonpoint and point source pollution associated with new development and redevelopment) construction-related and post-development stormwater runoff to minimize damage to public and private property and infrastructure;
  2. Specific. This Subpart B seeks to meet its general purpose by:
    1. Establishing decision-making processes for development that protect the integrity of watersheds and preserve the health of water resources;
    2. Requiring new development and redevelopment maintain the pre-development hydrologic response in their post-development state as nearly as practicable for the applicable design storm to reduce flooding, stream bank erosion, nonpoint and point source pollution and increases in stream temperature, and to maintain the integrity of stream channels and aquatic habitats;
    3. Establishing minimum post-development stormwater management standards and design criteria for the regulation and control of stormwater runoff quantity and quality;
    4. Establishing design and review criteria for the construction, function, and use of structural stormwater BMPs that may be used to meet the minimum post-development stormwater management standards;
    5. Encouraging the use of better management and site design practices, such as the use of vegetated conveyances for stormwater and the preservation of green space, riparian buffers and other conservation areas to the maximum extent practicable;
    6. Establishing provisions for the long-term responsibility for and maintenance of structural stormwater BMPs and nonstructural stormwater BMPs to ensure that they continue to function as designed, are maintained appropriately, and pose no threat to public safety;
    7. Establishing administrative procedures for the submission, review, approval and disapproval of stormwater management plans, for the inspection of approved projects, and to assure appropriate long-term maintenance.