Tredyffrin Township
Chester County, Pennsylvania

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Stormwater Management

DRAFT STORMWATER ORDINANCE

The Planning Commission has made a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to start the adoption process of the stormwater ordinance at the August 21 public meeting.

Draft Stormwater Ordinance (126 pages, 912 KB)

Township Watershed Map (296 KB)

The Townships storm drainage system is very important to keeping runoff from flooding roadways and damaging property. The inlets in the streets are interconnected by piping and eventually discharged to a larger pipe, to a stream or ditch. Eventually all of our runoff ends up in the Schuylkill and/or Delaware River.

INLETS - Inlets are spaced along a roadway with most located at low points of the street in order to efficiently collect rainwater. Residents may help themselves by insuring that the opening is free and clear of leaves and other debris prior to a rain storm. If the inlet is clogged and not accepting runoff, the Public Works Department should be called at (610) 408-3620 or e-mail.

Left Image: Example of an inlet that is covered with leaves, twigs, and debris, which can prevent the inlet from efficiently collecting rainwater.

Right Image: Example of an inlet that is clear of leaves, twigs, and debris to efficiently collect rainwater.

DITCHES AND SWALES - Streams and drainage ditches/swales are also conveyors of the runoff. Dumping or raking leaves and other garden debris into these channels hurts the environment and seriously impacts drainage down stream. This action is prohibited by Township Ordinance and the regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection http://www.dep.state.pa.us.

(Above) An example of a swale designed to encourage the accumulation of rain during storms and hold it for a few hours or days to let it infiltrate into the soil.

Front Yard/Back Yard Watershed Solutions

In May of 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection awarded a grant to Tredyffrin Township for the work in Trout Creek. As a part of this grant, the Township hired Cahill Associates to help compile an educational brochure with information about how residents in Trout Creek can help improve the watershed through projects in their own yards.

The brochures contain information on how residents can construct stormwater best management practices (BMPs)on a residential level. BMPs are methods for reducing and infiltrating stormwater runoff, a process through which the water is filtered by plants and permeates through the soil before it reaches our streams. These actions can greatly slow and reduce the volume of runoff generated by impervious surfaces within the Watershed. The brochures highlight nine different BMPs that can easily be incorporated into many residential properties in Trout Creek.

We hope that you take time to review the information on the brochures, and eventually use some of the suggestions to become better stewards of Trout Creek. Please do not hesitate to contact the Township to let us know if the brochures have been helpful to you.

For more information on Trout Creek, click here

TREDYFFRIN TOWNSHIP STORMWATER PRIORITIES LIST

At the September 11, 2006 Board of Supervisor meeting, Township staff presented a Stormwater Priorities List for consideration and use in the 2007 budget process. It is meant to represent a meaningful framework for:

The list will be updated periodically as projects are completed and new locations are evaluated.

NEW BMP MANUAL

For updated announcement from PADEP regarding the newly finalized PA Stormwater BMP Manual, click on the links below. You can also find information about upcoming Training dates to be held to go over the information in the SW BMP Manual.

NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES PERMIT)

As part of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed stormwater management regulations to improve water quality. The Township was required to apply for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit which is administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This permit is a 5-year program which began in 2003. The permit is broken up into 6 control measures which include: Public Outreach and Education, Public Participation and Involvement, Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination, construction site stormwater runoff control, Post-Construction Storm Water Management in New Development and Redevelopment, and Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations and Maintenance.

This website was set up to address some of these issues and communicate with Township residents and businesses about different things that effect stormwater. If you have any additional questions, please contact Erin McPherson by email or (610) 408-3617.

If you have a complaint about stormwater, erosion, or sedimentation, please fill out the Complaint Form and submit it to Erin McPherson by email.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

TIPS FOR RESIDENTS

TIPS ON HOW TO MANAGE AND REDUCE STORMWATER AND FLOODING

TIPS FOR CONTRACTORS

OTHER HELPFUL LINKS

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2008, Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.

Tredyffrin Township Administration
1100 Duportail Road
Berwyn, PA 19312-1079
Phone: (610) 644-1400,  Fax: (610) 993-9186
Email: tredyffrin@tredyffrin.org