What is Stormwater Pollution?
Did you know that stormwater pollution is one of the leading causes of water quality problems in the State of Maine? Stormwater is rain or snowmelt that does not soak into the ground. As it runs off our lawns, driveways, parking lots and roads, it picks up pollutants such as sediment, gas and oil, excess fertilizer and pesticides, as well as pet waste, litter, and even food products that have been spilled on the ground. Stormwater carries these pollutants, untreated, into the local waters, including Goosefare Brook, Little River / Jones Creek, Mill Brook, Milliken Pond, Milliken Mill Pond, and eventually to Saco Bay. The Town of Old Orchard Beach is working to prevent stormwater pollution.
Brief Regulatory Background
The Town of Old Orchard Beach is subject to the General Permit for the Discharge of Stormwater from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), which is administered, in Maine, by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on behalf of the US Environmental Protection Agency. The permit aims to reduce the impact of stormwater pollution on local waterways, and is reissued every five years.
The Town’s current Stormwater Management Plan (2022-2027) describes best management practices the Town is implementing to meet the minimum control measures in the General Permit.
What is the Town’s MS4
An MS4 is a municipal separate storm sewer system – a conveyance or system of conveyances, including municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, manmade channels, or storm drains owned or operated by the Town that discretely conveys stormwater from the municipality to waters of the State.
What are some of the permit requirements?
The permit requires the Town comply with six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs):
- MCM 1 Education/Outreach Program – educate the public and municipal staff/officials about polluted runoff and how to reduce pollution
- MCM 2 Public Involvement and Participation – provide the public an opportunity to participate in the Town’s Stormwater Program
- MCM 3 Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) Program – identify and eliminate sources of non-stormwater flows to the separate storm sewer system
- MCM 4 Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control – ensure construction sites ≥ 1 acre do not impact the Town’s MS4
- MCM 5 Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New Development and Redevelopment – ensure long-term operation and maintenance of stormwater facilities
- MCM 6 Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations – prevent pollution from municipal operations and facilities
MCMs 1 & 2 are primarily implemented by Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD) through the Town’s membership in the Interlocal Stormwater Working Group (ISWG)
MCMs 3 & 6 are primarily the responsibility of Public Works
- Enacted an Illicit Discharge Ordinance (an ordinance prohibiting the discharge of non-stormwater, other than allowable non-stormwater discharges, into the separate storm sewer system).
- Provides residents the opportunity to dispose of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) through regional collection days. Keep an eye out for dates each year!
- Sweeps the streets, cleans catch basins, and makes improvements to the Town’s drainage infrastructure.
MCMs 4 & 5 are primarily the responsibility of the Planning Department as they pertain to construction projects
- Implements a Construction Runoff Control Program for construction activities.
- All projects located or proposed to be located in the Town of Old Orchard Beach with a disturbed area greater than or equal to one acre, including projects less than one acre that are part of a larger common plan of development or sale, are subject to MS4 requirements.
- Reviews applications brought before the Planning Board for compliance with Town, State and Federal standards. Specific to stormwater, review includes:
- Review of proposed stormwater management techniques and controls, including proposed low impact development and/or options for incorporating LID techniques, review of proposed Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plans, and review of Long-Term Operation and Maintenance Requirements in accordance with Chapter 71 Post Construction Stormwater Management.
- The Planning Board and the Town’s third-party engineer will review the Post-Construction Stormwater Management Plan (PCSWMP) for the project. It is recommended the sample plan be used in development of a project’s PCSWMP.
- Confirmation of submission and approval of State and Federal permit requirements.
- Review of proposed stormwater management techniques and controls, including proposed low impact development and/or options for incorporating LID techniques, review of proposed Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plans, and review of Long-Term Operation and Maintenance Requirements in accordance with Chapter 71 Post Construction Stormwater Management.
- Requires a Maintenance Agreement be signed and submitted prior to the start of construction for each project. This ensures any best management practices (BMPs) installed at a project will be maintained throughout the life of the project.
- Requires an Annual Certification be submitted each year for post-construction stormwater BMPs on the site. Developers will receive a reminder letter in March and the certifications are due by June 30th. It is important that at project closeout, the Developer provides the Town with a contact for the functioning Homeowners Association that will take over this responsibility.
Public Notice for Interlocal Stormwater Working Group (ISWG) Meetings
The Town is a member of the Interlocal Stormwater Working Group (ISWG), which is a coalition of 14 regulated MS4 municipalities and two nested MS4 communities in the greater Portland and Saco areas working collaboratively to implement the MS4 General Permit. The ISWG meets on the third Thursday every other month to discuss stormwater issues. The Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD) maintains an event calendar with the meeting notices. If interested in attending ISWG meetings, please contact the CCSWCD for meeting information.
To report a stormwater problem or suspected non-stormwater discharge, please call Public Works at
(207) 934-2250