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Welcome to the
West Caln Township Stormwater
Management Information page. This page is designed to provide
Township residents with quick access to information and resources to preserve
and protect clean water in the Township and the Chester County regional
community. West Caln Township is actively
involved in a variety of programs and initiatives to meet various Statewide
and National goals for clean water. Local residents
and businesses have a
role to play too, which when combined together will have a positive impact
on our environment and the water that is so important to us all.
The Township is
actively involved in meeting statutory permitting requirements under state
and federal law. The Township is also active with
partners in a
variety of programs and strategies to enhance water quality through
plantings, mowing strategies, implementation of stormwater
management facilities and other "best management practices"
(BMPs).
We hope that you
will find this information useful in learning about the requirements as
well as tools to use on your own. For direct information
from the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, visit their website
at http://www.depweb.state.pa.us
What Is Stormwater?
Stormwater is water runoff
from precipitation that flows across the ground and pavement when it rains
or when snow and ice melt. The water seeps into the ground or drains
into storm sewers. These are the drains you see at street corners or
at low points on the sides of streets. Collectively, the draining
water is called stormwater runoff.
Why is Stormwater
Sometimes a Problem?
Stormwater becomes a problem
when it picks up debris, chemicals, dirt and other pollutants as it flows
or when it causes flooding and erosion of stream banks. Stormwater travels through a system of pipes and
roadside ditches that make up stormwater
systems. It eventually flows directly to a lake, river, stream,
wetland, or coastal water. All of the pollutants stormwater
carries along the way empty into our waters, too, because stormwater does not get treated.
This
is why your assistance is needed to improve local water quality.
Residential Solutions to Stormwater
Pollution
As stormwater flows over driveways, lawns,
and sidewalks, it picks up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants. Stormwater then flows into a storm sewer system or
directly to a lake, stream, river, wetland, or coastal water. Anything that
enters our storm sewer system is discharged untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing, and providing
drinking water. It does not go to the water treatment facility.
Polluted runoff is the nation’s greatest threat to clean water. By
practicing healthy household habits, homeowners can keep common pollutants
like pesticides, pet waste, grass clippings, and automotive fluids off the
ground and out of stormwater. Adopt these healthy
household habits and help protect lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands, and
coastal waters. Remember to share the habits with your neighbors!
10
Ways to Prevent Stormwater Runoff Pollution:
1. Conserve Water by
stopping faucet drips
2. Never dump
anything down storm drains
3. Pick up after your
pet
4.
Sweep
up driveways and sidewalks
5.
Use
fertilizers and pesticides sparingly
6.
Plant
gardens in bare spots
7.
Direct
rooftop runoff to grass or gardens
8. Check cars for
leaks
9.
Wash
cars at the car wash
10.
Compost
your yard and organic wastes
Other Ways to Prevent Stormwater Runoff Pollution:
·
Properly dispose of hazardous substances, such as
used motor oil, cleaning supplies and paint – never pour them down any part
of the storm sewer system, and report anyone who does.
·
Look for signs of soil and other pollutants, such as
debris and chemicals, leaving construction sites in stormwater
runoff or tracked into roads by construction vehicles. Report poorly
managed construction sites that could impact stormwater
runoff to the Township.
·
Install innovative stormwater
practices on residential properties, such as rain barrels or rain gardens, that capture stormwater
and keep it on-site instead of letting it drain away into the storm sewer
system.
·
Report any discharge from stormwater
outfalls during times of dry weather – a sign there could be a problem with
the storm sewer system.
·
Store materials that could pollute water indoors and
use containers for outdoor storage that do not rust or leak to eliminate
exposure of materials to stormwater.
Homeowner Links/Brochures:
· Stormwater Guide Residential Flyer
· When it Rains, it Drains
·
After the Storm
· Make your Home the Solution to Stormwater Pollution
· Water Efficient Landscaping
· A Homeowners Guide to Stormwater Management
·
Clean Water is Everybody's
Business
· 10 Thinks to Prevent Stormwater
Runoff
 Kids’ Corner
Looking to
enlighten our future generations to the importance of our water resources?
Check out the links below for materials created by the EPA to help you do
so.
· Take
the Storm Water Runoff Challenge placemat
· EPA: Environmental Sites for Kids
· EPA:
Polluted Runoff Kids page
· EPA: Water for Kids
· EPA: Water Games and Activities
· EPA: What Kids Can Do
Ways to Help Limit Stormwater
Runoff Volume
INSTALL
A RAIN GARDEN
 A rain garden is a
planted shallow depression designed to catch and filter rainfall
runoff. The garden captures rain from a downspout or a
driveway. The water sinks into the ground, aided by deep rooted
plants that like wet and dry conditions. A residential rain garden
should dry out between rains and should only hold water for approximately
24 -72 hours. This timeframe prevents standing water that could
create mosquito habitat. For more information on how to create your
own rain garden, visit www.raingardennetwork.com
INSTALL
A RAIN BARREL
 Rain barrels are
installed at the bottom of your down-spouts and catch the rain water that
comes off the roof. You can then reuse that water to water your
garden or yard. Please try to empty your rain barrel between rain
events to maximize the effectiveness of the rain barrel. You can
either purchase your rain barrel or make your own.
PLANT
TREES AND SHRUBS
 As we remove forest canopy and replace it with roads, parking lots,
driveways, homes, patios, pools (impervious surfaces) and even grass, we
immediately have impact on watersheds and receiving streams. Planting trees,
shrubs and/or plants that have a deep root structure help stormwater infiltrate into the ground. They also
catch rain water on their leaves and branches which helps to reduce the
amount of run-off during a storm. For more information on trees to plant in
our region, visit www.patrees.org
Pet Waste and
Water Quality
 Did you know the deposit
Fido made on the lawn this morning is a growing threat to our environment?
Did you also know that studies have found that 40% of pet owners do not
pick up after their pets? The average dog produces a half a pound of
waste per day. If 40% of the pet owners in Montgomery County don’t pick up
after their four-footed friends, the dog waste is left behind on the ground
to decompose or be carried away by stormwater
runoff to our creeks and waterways.
When
pet waste reaches our waterways, the untreated bacteria, nutrients and
parasites contaminate the water and pose health risks to humans and other
animals. Don’t let your dog be a canine sewage pipe. Flush your dog’s waste
down the toilet, toss it in the trash or better yet, get a doggy composter.
Be
a responsible pet parent; always remember to Stop, Stoop and Scoop.
Your pet(s) and the environment will thank you!
Use the link below to view the EPA's guidelines and
Best Management Practices (BMP) in regard to pet waste and the impact on
water pollution.
EPA:BMP’s on Pet Waste Management
Business
Solutions to Stormwater Pollution
 Businesses also need to be aware that things they do or products they
use in their daily operations can enter the stormwater
system and affect our water sources. Runoff from construction sites, spills
at fueling areas and chemicals used to keep outdoor areas clean can be
picked up by rainwater and whisked into the storm sewer system.
Vehicle wastes are among the many common stormwater
pollutants that can degrade water quality. Stormwater
runoff from vehicle maintenance and repair wastes has been found to contain
high concentrations of metals, organics, oil and grease. When these wastes
wash into our waters they can kill aquatic organisms. Metals such as
chromium, cadmium, lead, and zinc have the potential to contaminate
drinking water supplies as well as bio accumulate in aquatic life. Organics
such as engine degreasers, cleaners, and other solvents can also degrade
water quality.
POLLUTION PREVENTION ITEMS FOR BUSINESSES AND
RESTAURANTS
Fats,
Oils & Grease (FOG)
· Use a FOG recycling/rendering service that provides watertight outdoor
receptacles of adequate size.
· Clean-up FOG spills as soon as they occur. Develop a "spill
plan."
· Use dry clean-up practices to scrape, wipe or
sweep FOG from utensils, equipment and floors prior to using wet clean-up
methods.
· Don't hose FOG waste down storm drains.
· Improper disposal of FOG may lead to by-products in wastewater
treatment plants and stormwater systems.
· Schedule FOG pick-ups related to volume of FOG generation.
· Maintain pavements and exterior grease traps.
STORAGE
CONTAINER
Storage
Container Safety
· Outdoor storage containers should be water tight, rodent proof &
protected from tampering.
· If materials aren't stored properly, pollutants can leak from
stockpiles and containers and run out onto the ground.
· Reduce risk to environment by reducing the amount of materials and
wastes kept in storage.
· If materials must be stored outside, construct a covered, paved area
designed to contain leaks and spills.
· Regularly clean up around dumpsters.
· If a dumpster leaks, immediately repair or replace it.
Preventing & Cleaning Up
Spills
· Don't allow open containers or tanks that are being filled to be left
unattended.
· Use a funnel when transferring liquids from one container to another.
· Place trays under open containers and the spouts of liquid storage
containers.
· Buy products in smaller quantities whenever it’s cost effective.
· Design work areas to contain spills.
· Absorbent materials used to clean up hazardous substances must be
disposed of as hazardous waste.
Business Links/Brochures:
·
EPA – Pollution Prevention for Businesses: Environmental
Management Assistance Program
·
Maintain your BMP’s
·
Construction Runoff
·
Where Does Stormwater Go?
·
More Tools to Manage Stormwater!
·
Stormwater Information for
Automobile Repair Shops
·
Stormwater Information for Restaurants
·
How Do Businesses Detect Stream Pollution or an Illicit Discharge?
·
Guide for Pollution Prevention – Businesses
·
Business Stormwater Flyer
·
Best Management Practices
·
Stormwater Discharges from Industrial Facilities
Construction
Industry Information
 The construction
industry has a key role to play in stormwater
management. As stormwater flows over a
construction site, it can pick up pollutants such as sediment, debris, and
chemicals. Uncontrolled erosion has a significant financial impact on a
construction project. It costs time and money to repair gullies, replace
vegetation, clean sediment clogged storm drains, and mitigate damage to
other people's property.
Installing and maintaining pollution prevention techniques on site can
reduce the potential for stormwater pollution and
help protect our nation's water supply.
PROTECT NATURAL FEATURES BY:
·
Minimizing the
amount of exposed soil, because the less soil that is exposed the easier
and cheaper it will be to control erosion. Sequence construction activities
so that the soil is not exposed for long periods. Schedule site
stabilization activities such as landscaping to be completed as quickly as
possible after the land has been graded to the final contour.
·
Identify and protect areas where existing vegetation
such as trees will not be disturbed by construction activity.
·
Protect streams,
wild woodlands, wetlands, and other sensitive areas from any disturbance or
construction activity by fencing or otherwise clearly marking those areas.
·
Silt Fencing: Inspect and maintain silt
fences after each rainstorm. Make sure that the bottom of the silt fence is
buried in the ground. Securely attach the material to the stakes.
·
Construction Entrances: Make sure the
construction entrance doesn't become buried in soil. Regular street sweeping at construction entrance will prevent
dirt from entering storm drains.
Construction Links/Brochures:
·
EPA: Link for Construction
·
Stormwater Guidelines for
Construction
· Stormwater and the Construction Industry Poster
Clean Water
Act
 The Clean Water Act is the federal legislation that governs stormwater management. Stormwater
point discharges to waters of the U.S. are regulated using National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. In 1999, federal
regulations extended coverage of the NPDES program to local separate storm
sewer systems (MS4’s) serving populations less than 100,000. West Caln Township is required to comply with the NPDES
program as a MS4. Under the NPDES stormwater
program, permittees must develop a stormwater management plan that provides the details of
how the community (West Caln Township) will
comply with the requirements of the permit. Permits are based on a
framework of six minimum control measures:
Ř Public education
and outreach
Ř Public
participation and involvement
Ř Illicit discharge
detection and elimination
Ř Construction site
runoff control
Ř Post-construction
storm water management in new development and redevelopment
Ř Pollution
prevention and good housekeeping for municipal operations and maintenance
More information on this
program is available from the Pennsylvania DEP website.
Storm Drain Stenciling:
 West Caln Township is charged with marking
the storm drains in the township with the "No Dumping / Drains to
Creek" stencils. These storm drain stencils educate the public that
anything you dump into the storm drain ends up directly in a creek or other
public water way. If you would like to volunteer and help with storm drain
stenciling: check your neighborhood for missing stencils then call: 610-384-9035
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Watersheds in West Caln Township
A
watershed is made up of the land area that drains to a specific body of
water, such as a tributary, stream or river. The topography of our local
hills and valleys define the watershed boundary (catchment area) and the
watershed outlet is the mouth of a pond, river or lake. There are
three (3) watersheds that run through West Caln
Township, they are:
· West Brandywine Creek (Christina River Basin)
· Pequea Creek (Chesapeake Bay
Basin)
Watershed Links & Brochures:
· Center for Watershed Protection
· Chester County
Conservation District
· Brandywine
Valley Association
·
PA Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of
Point and Non-Point Source Management
· U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Stormwater
Homepage
· EPA: Stormwater Tool Box of
Education Materials
· PA Department of Environmental
Protection Bureau of Conservation and Restoration
·
PA Department of Environmental
Protection Southeast Regional Office
Stormwater Discharges from MS4
West Caln Township
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4)
The goals of all MS4s programs and Horsham Township
are to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the township, to protect
water quality and to satisfy requirements of the Clean Water Act. Horsham
Township would like you to remember that the water and any items that go
into a storm sewer go directly into streams. This water is not cleaned in
any way and does not go to the waste water treatment plant. Horsham
Township needs all of its residents to assist us in keeping our storm water
and storm water sewer system clean by doing the following: dispose of water
properly, clean up after your pets, use fertilizers properly and
efficiently to prevent excess runoff and store materials that could pollute
storm water indoors.Also,
please monitor storm water inlets near your property. No one should dump
anything into the storm sewer system.
EPA Fact
Sheets:
·
Overview of the Phase II Program
·
Small MS4 Overview
·
Who's Covered?
·
Urbanized Areas
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