Under Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), part of the Clean Water Act, Federal regulations require regulated stormwater communities to obtain a permit and to develop plans that contain schedules, best management practices and measurable goals for stormwater management.  For Waterford, these plans include an Illicit Discharge Elimination Program (IDEP), a Public Education Program (PEP), a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Initiative (SWPPI) and a Watershed Plan (WP).

What is a watershed?

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common body of water.  Waterford Township is within the Clinton River Watershed and within two subwatersheds, the Upper Clinton and the Clinton Main. 

Stormwater is generated by rainwater and snowmelt runoff from streets, parking lots, building rooftops, lawns, farms, construction sites, industrial sites and many other aspects of the landscape. This runoff picks up fertilizers, dirt, pesticides, oil and grease, and many other pollutants on the way to our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.  Stormwater runoff is our most common cause of water pollution.

What is watershed management? 

Watershed management is a decision-making process regarding uses and changes to the land and the water within a watershed. Human changes directly alter the delivery of water, sediments, and nutrients within the watershed, and thus fundamentally change the aquatic system within the watershed.  Watershed management encompasses the entire watershed system, from uplands and headwaters, to floodplains, wetlands and river channels.  Common goals for land and water resource management must be developed. 

Illicit Discharge Elimination Plan (IDEP)

The IDEP is the Township's plan to identify and eliminate illicit connections and discharges.  The federal law defines “illicit discharge” and “illicit connection” as follows:

Illicit discharge - the discharge of untreated sanitary wastewater (including industrial and commercial wastewater) or other polluting materials into a river, stream or other water body from:

• improper sewage connections - such as sources of sanitary sewage which should be connected to the sanitary sewer but are inappropriately connected to the storm sewer.

• effluent from improperly designed and/or operated septic systems

• sanitary sewer overflows.

•  improper disposal of waste products - such as emptying a mobile home holding tank into a catch basin or pouring used motor oil into a catch basin.

• other discharges not composed entirely of storm water.

Illicit connection – an improper physical connection of illicit discharges to the stormwater drainage system, or other connections not authorized by the local authority (where required), to the storm water drainage system.  Examples of illicit connections are: a) a floor drain in an automobile repair shop that is connected to the storm sewer rather than the sanitary sewer; and b) a septic tank discharge line that has been connected to the storm sewer.  An improper connection of a source of stormwater to the sanitary sewer would also be considered an illicit connection, for example, a parking lot catch basin that is tapped into the sanitary sewer.  Sump pumps connected to the sanitary sewers would also be an illicit connection.

The IDEP identifies both short-term and long-term efforts to eliminate illicit discharges and connections.  When the majority of known illicit discharges and connections have been eliminated, a less intensive on-going program will be implemented to prevent future problems.

 

Cover and Table of Contents
Section I - Introduction and Background
Section II - The Storm Sewer System in the Charter Township of                  Waterford
Section III - Short-term Illicit Connection and Discharge Elimination                   Program
Section IV - Long-term Illicit Discharge Elimination Program
Section V - Monitoring Progress Annual Report
Section VI - Summary Table of Program Goals and Measurables
Section VII - References

Public Education Plan (PEP)

The Public Education Plan (PEP) was developed to inform the public about their role in stormwater management and in protecting water quality within their community.  The plan was created with the help of residents and professionals in the education field.  It outlines goals for the Plan, and messages that must be communicated, as well as additional information that is important for the public to understand.  The PEP describes the existing and future efforts Waterford will undertake to achieve these education goals, and how these efforts will be evaluated. 

Watershed Plan (WP)

The purpose of the WP is to identify and address water quality and quantity issues within the watershed.  The following document is Waterford Township's Watershed Management Plan.  Each chapter addresses key components of the plan.  The maps help to achieve a visual understanding of the current environmental state of Waterford Township and where the focus needs to be directed.

Chapter 2  Introduction
The Upper Clinton Subwatershed Management Plan was developed to meet the Federal Phase II stormwater permit requirements.  Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has been operating to reduce and control point-source water pollution.  The next phase of this law (or “Phase II”) is requiring communities that have “urbanized areas” within their boundaries to help control non-point source pollutants entering surface waters through stormwater.  Urbanized areas are determined by criteria using data from the 2000 U.S. Census.  This plan represents a “Watershed-based” approach to the Phase II permit process.
 

Chapter 3  Watershed Analysis
This analysis looks at the current conditions within the Upper Clinton Subwatershed, and identifies trends and potential future water quality issues.  The analysis was developed by the Core Group of communities within the subwatershed.  A draft was then sent to the members of the broader Steering Committee for their comments and input. 
 

Chapter 4  Watershed Plan Goals and Objectives
After the watershed analysis had been completed, the next step in the planning process followed by the group was to come up with goals and objectives for the Upper Clinton subwatershed.  This chapter explains the process the group followed, describes who was involved, and presents the goals and objectives the group decided upon.
 

Chapter 5  Impervious Surface and Planning Analysis
Different areas of the Upper Clinton Subwatershed have been developed to different degrees.  In general, the northern portion of the watershed is less developed than the southern part.  A significant amount of the land that is considered developed is large-lot residential, which could be split and further developed in the future.  Therefore, the watershed communities currently have an opportunity to guide future development patterns (rather than retro-fit solutions) so that water resources are protected as the land is developed. 
 

Chapter 6  Watershed Action Plan
This chapter of the Watershed Management Plan brings together the other sections of the Plan through potential solutions to the identified water quality issues.  The following discussion describes Best Management Practices (BMPs) that could be implemented to address each goal and objective of the Plan.
 

Chapter 7  Action Matrix
The Upper Clinton Subwatershed is made up of communities in different stages of development.  Some parts of the subwatershed are relatively undeveloped, while other parts are substantially developed.  This is the reason why the Best Management Practices chosen for this plan span a range of physical and managerial actions.  Some of these actions are already being used by various communities, while others are in the planning stages.  Some activities are not appropriate for specific communities, and will only be used by some of the watershed partners.  The matrix lists all the actions previously described in Chapter 6, and shows how these actions will help meet the Plan’s goals by relating them to the subwatershed’s current condition. 
 

Storm Water Pollution Prevention Initiative (SWPPI)

This document is to be developed.