Title
Adoption of the new Stormwater and Grading Design Standards
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Staff will be presenting for discussion the proposed revisions to the City’s Stormwater and Grading Design Manuals. The revisions are required as part of the permit requirements under the City’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination Systems Permit (NPDES) from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Staff will return at a later date for formal adoption of the revisions and subsequent Municipal Code revisions.
BACKGROUND:
Stormwater management is a key element in maintaining and enhancing livability within the City of Oregon City. Properly managing stormwater is vital to protecting our water resources for a great number of uses, including fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and drinking water.
The goal of these updated standards is to provide local engineers, developers, builders, and City staff clear guidance in planning and designing stormwater conveyance and management systems that are appropriate to the local climate, hydrogeology, and geology. These standards apply to public and private projects throughout the City and are required under the City’s existing NPDES Permit. The primary changes to the standards required the City to address two key aspects of stormwater management; addressing hydro modification and increasing water quality. These two principles can be addressed by actively promoting Low Impact Development as the preferred standard, where feasible, within Oregon City.
The significant changes from the previous manual to the current manual are presented in the attached matrix. Staff has already conducted one developer outreach workshop and will be meeting with other key stakeholders prior to formal adoption. Staff will be presenting to the Planning Commission on April 13, 2015 and proposing to return before City Commission for the first hearing on May 6, 2015. The fu...
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