BACKGROUND
Land development and construction activities significantly alter drainage patterns and contribute pollutants to urban runoff. During construction, erosion and removal of existing landscaping can create downstream impacts. After construction, impervious surfaces created by buildings, roads, and parking lots prevent storm water from directly percolating into the soil, and create an adverse impact on water quality. In fact, 80 percent of surface water pollution is attributed to urban runoff.

As the amount of impervious surface increases in a watershed, water that previously percolated into the soil and was filtered begins to flow directly to storm drains that lead to our creeks and rivers without being treated. Untreated stormwater can be a source of pollutants, such as automotive fluids, cleaning solvents, toxic or hazardous chemicals, sediment, detergents, pesticides, and oil and grease.

With the growing concerns about urban storm water pollution, Federal and State environmental regulations require new and redevelopment projects to implement controls that treat polluted storm runoff before it reaches any receiving waters.

THE CITY’S NPDES PERMIT
The City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requires the City and permit applicants to address storm water pollution issues in development of private and public projects. The requirements include implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) during construction and the use of Integrated Management Practices (IMPs) for permanent, post-construction controls to reduce pollutants discharged from the project site.

Depending on the site and other conditions (e.g. clay soils or other poor percolation conditions), storm water management goals can be achieved by incorporating one or more basic elements, such as: infiltration, retention/ detention, and bio-filters.

Streets, parking lots, driveways, and landscaping areas can be designed to cause less impact in stormwater quality while providing aesthetic benefits. The following is a short list of endless possibilities:

• Narrower streets
• Hybrid parking lots that combine impervious aisles with permeable parking stalls,
• Parking groves, concave medians,
• Driveways using permeable materials such as unit pavers or crushed aggregate,
• Infiltration trench or basin,
• Wet ponds,
• Constructed wetlands,
• Extended detention basin,
• Vegetated swales,
• Vegetated buffer strips, and
• Bio-retention landscaping.

This website is still being developed. Below is a list of additional resources. Future updates will describe other measures the City is taking to improve water quality.

Miami Conservancy District

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

Montgomery County Soil and Water District

The city's Stormwater Runoff Code must be adhered to for all development and redevelopment projects within the city.

View the City of Kettering Stormwater Runoff Code (PDF File)

For questions, call 937-296-2436.