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Residents of Elizabeth Township will see changes in Township Stormwater Management regulations coming as the Township works to comply with the State Stormwater Management Act (Act 167) and the Non-pointsource Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements associated with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4).

In September of 2012, Elizabeth Township completed an application to comply with the NPDES permit requirements authorizing discharge of stormwater from Township owned and maintained facilities within the designated MS4 area.

The MS4 area was determined by population density established as part of the 2000 Census and the area will likely be expanded as a result of the 2010 Census. Within the MS4 area, the Township is required to implement and report annually on 6 different protocols, also known as “minimum control measures” (MCM), established as part of the permit.

The 6 protocols include:

• MCM#1 – Public Education and Outreach
• MCM#2 – Public Participation and Involvement
• MCM#3 – Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
• MCM#4 – Construction Site Stormwater Runoff
• MCM#5 – Post Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment
• MCM#6 – Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations and Maintenance

More information about NPDES and MS4 can be found here.

In November 2013, PADEP approved the Lancaster County Model Stormwater Management Ordinance. The Ordinance was developed as part of the Water Resources component of the County Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of the ordinance is to control runoff rates associated with impervious areas of newly developed and redeveloped properties and, in addition, to improve the quality of the stormwater runoff and to promote groundwater recharge.

The main impact of the updated ordinance will apply to small projects of less than 2,000 square feet of new impervious areas. Under the ordinance, which was adopted by the Township on April 14, 2014, effective on May 7, 2014, any existing lot of record in the Township, which has undergone no impervious area additions since February 9, 2004, will be eligible for a stormwater management exemption up to a cumulative 1,000 square feet of new impervious area. Cumulative impervious areas between 1,001 and 2,500 square feet would be eligible to use a “Small Projects” permit application. The Small Projects require the applicant to provide some stormwater analysis and controls, which can be completed by the applicant, without the need for an engineering consultant, by using the application and worksheets in the ordinance. Examples of Small Project controls are included in the Ordinance.

Projects larger than the cumulative 2,500 square feet would require the assistance of an engineering consultant to prepare plans and calculations, as they have in the past.