Government

Deerfield Township NPDES Phase II Stormwater Permit

In 1972 Congress enacted the Clean Water Act. Since then, local and state governments have worked with industries and wastewater treatment plants to reduce "source-point" pollution to improve the quality of receiving waterways. However, as these pollutants were brought under control, it became evident that other sources of pollution existed. These "nonpoint-source" pollutants were reaching our lakes, rivers, and streams from agricultural runoff, urban runoff, stream channelization, mining, land disposal, and construction site runoff. To address these sources, the United States Environmental Protection Agency initiated the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase I and Phase II stormwater programs.

The NPDES Phase I required large jurisdictions to come into compliance with specific stormwater mandates. Phase II requires smaller jurisdictions, such as Deerfield Township, to come into compliance by 2008. The mandate issued by the USEPA is comprised of six Minimum Control Measures: (MCM)

Hazardous Materials Spills:

CALL 911

Hazardous material spills should always be reported to 911, and if necessary, contact regional HAZMAT team.

Sediment and Erosion Control Issues:

For issues relating to Construction Site Runoff Control, Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Reviews, Streams and Rain Gardens, Public Education and Outreach or Retention/Detention Basin Inspections; contact The Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District

Leaking Septic Systems:

Other Discharges, Spills, or Pollution:

General Drainage Issues:

Deerfield Regional Stormwater District Trustees

The District is governed by a three-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Deerfield Township Trustees. The Board holds regular meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. Members of the public are welcome. Meeting agendas will be posted to the Deerfield Township meetings page a few days before each meeting.

Jeff Thomas, Stormwater Manager

Contact Information

Experience

Jeff Thomas joined Deerfield Township as Storm Water Manager in April 2019. He will serve as the Township’s liaison to the Deerfield Regional Storm Water District (District) and will oversee all stormwater management tasks performed for the District. His other duties include assisting Township residents with the stormwater concerns, ensuring compliance with the Township’s Ohio EPA stormwater permit, along with the management of general construction projects and administrative functions related to the District.

Mr. Thomas has more than 20 years of experience with environmental permit review and compliance at the state and local levels, assisting landowners with their natural resource management concerns, and with the planning and implementation of water quality improvement projects. He has worked as a Resource Management Specialist for the Division of Soil and Water Conservation in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and in a number of roles, including Director, for the Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District.

Mr. Thomas has a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Kentucky. He is credentialed as a LEED Green Associate as well as being certified as a Professional in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ) and as a Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC).

DRSWD

Deerfield Regional Stormwater District

Following heavy rains with severe flooding in the Township, in 2003, the Deerfield Township Trustees filed a petition with the Warren County Court of Common Pleas seeking to create the Deerfield Regional Stormwater District (DRSWD). After proving the necessity for the District, the Court ruled that the District was thereby established as a separate political subdivision of the state of Ohio.

The District’s borders are identical to the unincorporated areas of Deerfield Township. The District was created to address stormwater quality and quantity issues within Deerfield Township. The collection and disposal of stormwater (also known as wastewater) by the District includes projects which address flooding through the repair, replacement or construction of infrastructure facilities. The District also functions to improve water quality by funding various facilities and projects to address pollution, sedimentation, and illicit discharges.

The District is governed by a three-member Board of Trustees.  Meet the Board

 

Stormwater Meeting Cancelled 7-11-23 and Rescheduled a Special Meeting for 7-19-23

Capital Improvement and Repair Projects

Understanding the nature and cause of stormwater issues helps to determine the entity who may undertake necessary improvements. Each stormwater problem is unique because the water does not conveniently stay within certain borders or jurisdictions. Problems may also have complicated causes or solutions which require intergovernmental cooperation.

Generally speaking, projects in the public road right-of-way may be handled by either the Stormwater District or Deerfield Township. Currently, Deerfield Township is taking the lead on these types of projects. However, in certain cases, the District and Township will partner to jointly address those projects which also extend outside the right-of-way.

The District has established a set of Criteria for Assistance in its Regulations which outlines the types of projects eligible for District assistance. Generally speaking, those criteria permit the repair or construction of facilities which are either in a public-use easement or which carry public stormwater or to address unreasonable amounts of public stormwater which enters onto private property. The District will not expend funds to correct problems caused by one private property owner’s stormwater flooding a neighboring private property. The District will also not stabilize stream banks unless it is necessary to significantly address water quality or to address flooding or where unreasonable stream bank erosion is adjacent to and caused by discharge from a public storm water improvement.

mcm

Six Minimum Control Measures (MCM)

MCM 1 Public Information and Education -

Each jurisdiction is required to educate the public about stormwater quality issues including erecting signs at major tributary crossings.

MCM 2 Public Involvement and Participation -

Each jurisdiction must involve the public in stormwater projects, such as storm drain tagging and stream cleanups, and provide a way for the public to report stormwater problems.

MCM 3 Illicit Discharge Detection -

Each jurisdiction must develop, implement, and enforce a program to detect and eliminate illicit discharges, develop a storm sewer map, and develop a map of all septic systems.

MCM 4 Construction site Stormwater Runoff Control -

Each jurisdiction must develop, implement, and enforce a program to address pollutants in stormwater runoff from construction activities.

MCM 5 Post-Construction Stormwater Management -

Each jurisdiction must develop, implement, and enforce a program to address stormwater runoff from new development and redevelopment projects.

MCM 6 Pollution prevention/Good Housekeeping -

Each jurisdiction must develop and implement an operation and maintenance program, including training, to prevent or reduce pollutant runoff from municipal operations.

Wess Kroll - President

Mr. Kroll works as a Project Engineer for Barrett Industries, a fully integrated road construction and manufacturing infrastructure group.  He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering.  Mr. Kroll is a registered professional engineer in the state of Ohio.  He also serves as an active member of the Ohio Contractors Association and the American Society of Highway Engineers.  Mr. Kroll and his family have resided in Deerfield Township since 2007.

Stormwater Fee

The District is completely funded through a small fee on all properties in the District with impervious surface. Impervious surface, such as pavement and buildings, does not allow stormwater to enter the ground. Water runs off the impervious surface and must be properly collected and disposed or flooding issues may result. Tax revenue is neither collected by nor used by the District. The District’s fee is used to investigate stormwater issues and, in some cases, to repair or construct stormwater facilities. The fee is also used to meet various unfunded mandates included in EPA Phase II requirements. Most local jurisdictions with urban densities have had to levy a similar fee to address their stormwater utility issues and to comply with those EPA requirements. In 2005 the District appointed an advisory group composed of a cross section of area residents and non-residential representatives to identify the needs of the Township and determine how quickly projects should be completed. This group recommended a fairly aggressive capital improvement program. The District studied these recommendations, evaluated proposed projects and costs, and met with Deerfield Township to finalize the scope of District activities and arrive at a reasonable fee which address the most pressing needs. With this information in mind, the District Board voted on August 8, 2006 to adopt a stormwater fee of $1.92 per month per ERU. The fee began appearing on the Warren County Water and Sewer bills in November, 2006. Those property owners who do not receive their water through Warren County receive a "stormwater only" bill once per year for the annual amount. This invoice is usually sent in February, from the Warren County Water and Sewer Department. New stormwater issues and potential projects are continuously being brought to the District's attention and they are evaluated by the District Board at their monthly meetings. As projects meet the necessary criterion for assistance, the District ranks them and performs those projects in order of ranking, as funding allows. Likewise, the federal mandates put in place will remain ongoing for an unspecified period of time. There are several program activities that take place in order to comply with the required mandates. These activities include Public Education & Outreach, Public Involvement, Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control, Post Construction, and Pollution Prevention for Municipal Operations. Each of these program activities are monitored, reported, and inspected by the OEPA to ensure compliance with the mandates.

What is an ERU?

The District’s stormwater fee is determined by the amount of impervious surface (rooftops, driveways, sidewalks, parking lots) on each property. A sampling of township residential property was measured for impervious surface which was then averaged. This average came to 3,407 square feet and is considered one ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit). Each single family home property owner pays a flat fee (currently $1.92 per month) based on one ERU per property. The District fee for non-residential property depends on the amount of impervious surface on the property. The amount of impervious surface on such properties is measured and the total is divided by the average residential surface area (3407 sq. ft.), resulting in an assigned ERU value for each property. Thus a non-residential property could contain only one ERU or many ERUs. The $1.92 fee is multiplied by the number of ERUs to determine that property's monthly fee. Non-residential properties include, but are not limited to, commercial centers, industrial complexes, religious buildings such as churches and temples, schools, and government offices. Nearly all local governments calculate their stormwater fees in the same manner.

Stormwater Management Plan

Deerfield Township is required to submit and manage a stormwater management plan (SWMP) in accordance with 40 CFR Part 122.32 and Ohio law. The plan outlines the steps that the Township takes to develop, implement, and enforce a stormwater management program designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants to the maximum extent practicable, to protect water quality and to satisfy the appropriate requirements of the Clean Water Act in accordance with the Ohio EPA NPDES Phase II Program. The SWMP addresses the Six Minimum Control Measures of the Phase II program as required by state and federal regulations.

Michael Collins - Vice President

Mr. Collins works as an Advanced Applications Systems Analyst for Kroger Technology & Digital. He supports SaaS platforms used for procurement and business spend management. Mr. Collins is a graduate of the University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Education degree in Sport Management. He also serves on the Strawberry Hill Recreation Association board. Mr. Collins and his family have been residents of Deerfield Township since 2010.

RFA

Do I meet the criteria? Read Policy Section 403

If you meet the criteria in the link above fill out the RFA (Request for Assistance)

***IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO FILL OUT THE RFA FORM PLEASE EMAIL JEFF THOMAS or call 513.770.2387

Stormwater Management Facilities

Storm sewers and stormwater facilities fall under different areas of jurisdiction throughout the Township:

  • Stormwater conveyance facilities (swales, downspouts, sump pumps, pipes, channels, etc.) which convey stormwater from an individual private property to larger public stormwater collection facilities are the responsibility of the individual property owners.
  • All public storm sewers and stormwater facilities within a Township roadway and the road right-of-way are maintained by Deerfield Township.
  • Storm sewers and stormwater facilities which are either in a public-use easement or which carry public stormwater or to address unreasonable amounts of public stomwater which enters onto private property. These types of facilities may fall under the jurisdiction of the District.

The District collects a small fee from property owners to repair, construct and maintain certain public stormwater facilities which are typically outside of the road right-of-way. The District has established a set of Criteria for Assistance in its Regulations (policy 403) which outlines the types of projects eligible for District assistance. Generally speaking, those criteria permit the repair or construction of facilities which are either in a public-use easement or which carry public stormwater or to address unreasonable amounts of public stormwater which enters onto private property. The District will not expend funds to correct problems caused by one private property owner’s stormwater flooding a neighboring private property. The District will also not stabilize stream banks unless it is necessary to significantly address water quality or to address flooding or where unreasonable stream bank erosion is adjacent to and caused by discharge from a public storm water improvement. The majority of detention and retention systems throughout the Township are the responsibility of private property owners or HOA’s to maintain. The Guide to Managing Stormwater is an introduction on the function and proper maintenance of those types of facilities. Ensuring that stormwater facilities are properly functioning is a key step in the overall stormwater management within our area. This guide provides valuable overview with tips on how to maintain and fix them, how to recognize facilities in your development, and whom to contact with questions and other resources.

 

An Introduction to Maintaining Stormwater Facilities

Understanding Stormwater Drainage Maintenance – Home Owner’s Association Guide

Policies, Regulations, Documents, Applications, and Maps

Jeff Macomber - Secretary & Treasurer

Mr. Macomber is an Associate with Hazen and Sawyer, an engineering consulting firm focused on drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater management.  He is a double graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering.  Mr. Macomber is a registered professional engineer with nearly 20 years of experience serving public and private clients in the water industry.  Mr. Macomber and his wife moved to Deerfield Township in 2009 and have two children.  In his free time, he coaches youth football and baseball.

Legal Counsel - Ashley Hetzel, Albers and Albers

Policies

Public Records - Resolution 2020-56

Criteria for Assistance - Policy 403

Township Liaison - Jeff Thomas

Regulations

Applications