Construction stormwater best management practice – Stormwater Model Ordinances
Contents
Model Ordinances
Model ordinances are created for municipal officials who want direction in regulating stormwater runoff. The ordinances provide a valuable tool for communities developing stormwater ordinances. With careful adaptation of these models and diligent enforcement, growing cities should be able to prevent serious stormwater runoff issues.
MPCA model ordinance
The MPCA model ordinance was developed in 2000 as an educational aid for Minnesota Pollution Control Agency staff. The model was based on the best parts of existing Minnesota municipal ordinances and from advice gathered from agency staff and other stormwater experts.
NEMO model ordinances
The more recent set of model ordinances was published in March 2004 by the National Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO). The language in this model is designed to assist local governments with applying the land use and water quality principles promoted in the NEMO program to their unique circumstances.
The basic model ordinance language is adapted from a variety of existing model ordinances and design manuals including those from the MPCA, the Department of Administration (Minnesota Planning), and the Metropolitan Council.
NEMO model ordinances
- Model Stormwater Ordinance
- Model Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance
- Model Subdivision Ordinance
- Model Shoreland Management Ordinance
Minimum requirements
Experience shows that municipal stormwater ordinances should contain at least these essential points:
- Adequate developer’s stormwater controls financial security requirements ($3,000/acre range). This covers both repairing “blown out” controls and remediation costs.
- Adequately wide grassy buffers between land development and water bodies:
- 100 feet for rivers and streams
- 40 feet for wetlands
- A development’s stormwater pollution control plan’s protections should be included in the grading plan.
- If either a trout stream or a ‘state outstanding resource value water’ is involved, the use of infiltration and/or additional permanent stormwater treatment may be required to protect the resource.
Be careful
No model ordinance meshes perfectly with your existing set of ordinances and perfectly addresses the particular stormwater management needs in your community. Be selective and realistic. These model ordinances represent what the authors considered to be the ‘best-of-the-best’ ideas in stormwater management at the time of writing.
You’re encouraged to use the model ordinances as a reference source for ideas to select from in your process of developing an ordinance customized to your jurisdiction.
To all of those who have assisted us in this effort, we offer our sincere thanks.
Technical assistance
Please call the Stormwater Hotline at 651-757-2119 or toll-free at 800-657-3804.