HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARMONY MARKET PUD, 9TH FILING - PRELIMINARY & FINAL - 54-87X - CORRESPONDENCE - STORMWATER-RELATED DOCUMENTS4.
Utility
Stormwater
City of Fort Collins
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE: July 25, 1994
TO: Ted Shepard, Senior City Planner
CG
FROM: Kevin McBride, Stormwater Quality Coordinator
RE; Stormwater Quality Concerns with proposed gas stations.
You asked about the protection of storm and drainage water
quality from'gas stations and what measures would be appropriate
to mitigate impacts from these sites. We can anticipate that
these issues will be raised during LDGS review. This memo
outlines current requirements of the Stormwater Utility and
discusses some approaches to address water quality concerns in
drainage plans.
First, a little background on upcoming federal regulations. We
anticipate that the City will soon be regulated under a Federal
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)permit.
This will require that water quality control measures,. called
Best Management Practices (BMP's), be implemented on'a site by
site basis. We are now in the process of developing means to
meet the regulatory requirement of implementing BMP's to the
maximum extent practicable. What is practicable is the crux
issue.
Currently, water quality problems associated with drainage are
regulated by the Stormwater Utility under the erosion control and
Pollutant discharge control. Requirements for erosion control
plans are found in the Drainage Criteria Manual and you are aware
of these. The discharge of pollutants is regulated by City Code.
(sec. 26-499). Essentially, this section of the Code prohibits
the discharge of contaminants to the stormwater system which may
cause environmental impairment. Of particular importance to
fueling stations is the potential to discharge petroleum
235 Mathews Street P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins; CO 80522-0580 (303) 221-6589 FAX (303) 221-6239
f
hydrocarbons. A visible oil sheen is an indication of a
potential violation of water quality standards. BMP's can be
used in site design and site management to minimize this risk.
Since these sites are more likely to have significant discharges
of automotive by-products than others, the requests that BMP's be
implemented here as mitigation is reasonable.
In addition to erosion control during construction, two types of
BMP's should be considered_ which will serve the site after
construction is completed. The first are structural controls
designed to aid in the event of spills of gas, oil or other
automotive fluids. Some type of on -site detention designed to
prevent the passage of oil off -site and ease spill cleanup should
be included in the drainage design. Secondly, management
activities such as appropriate training of station employees in
site maintenance and emergency response should be written into an
operations plan.
Guidance for BMP's can be obtained from the Urban Drainage and
Flood Control District Drainage Criteria Manual, Volume 3; The
Metropolitan Washington Council of Government Document,
"Controlling Urban Runoff, a Practical Manual for Planning and
Designing Urban BMP's"; EPA's manual "Storm Water Management For
Industrial Activities,.Developing Pollution Prevention Plans and
Best Management Practices"; and the City of Seattle,
Washington's, "Water Quality, Best Management Practices Manual."
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to call.
cc: Glen Schlueter