Smithfield wades into storm-water management

By Ash Schiller

February 18, 2005 | SMITHFIELD -- "Everyone I've talked to is just dreading this," City Manager James Gass said of the implementation of the storm water management program.

As of spring 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency requires all cities from Wellsville to Smithfield to follow the program, giving them five years to have it fully up and running, Gass said.

The purpose of the program is to keep streets, gutters and parking lots clean so when a storm comes, contaminates are not washed into the city's water supply. Basically, it is about clean water, Gass said.

"Everyone understands the importance of good, clean water. We have to have these programs, but they cost money," he said.

Financing and lack of experience in this area are the two reasons the cities are apprehensive about implementation, he said.

The program will be funded by storm water utility payments, Gass said, which will soon undergo changes. Right now Smithfield residents and businesses pay $2.50 a month. Nibley recently changed to about $4 and Logan's could be as high as $8, he said. Rates may differ for residences and businesses since businesses have a lot more square footage.

The storm water management permit authorized by the state outlines six minimum control measures. The first two are public education and involvement. The third is illicit discharge detection and elimination.

"People and businesses especially use the sewer system to discard hazardous materials. Those contaminants get into the water system," Gass said, using the example of pouring antifreeze into the gutter. The city will need to be on the watch for such practices and stop them, he said.

The next two control measures involve construction sites. Water pollution must be prevented both during and after construction, according to the permit. "The primary emphasis we have is not tracking mud into the street," Gass said. Ground is torn up during building and then tracked onto the street by vehicles entering and exiting the site.

One way to prevent this includes the best management practices which will have to be met in order to obtain a construction permit, Gass said. As an example, a construction company may have to lay a temporary gravel path from the site to the road entrance, lessening mud tracking. BMPs are part of the EPA program and have to be followed by many areas, including all of Salt Lake City.

The last and biggest control measure is pollution prevention. Each city will have to implement a program to keep its streets and parking lots clean, a task that Gass said is difficult because "these are things we've never done."

Sweepers are part of keeping the streets clean, and they are very expensive, he said. Right now Smithfield has a sweeper they purchased from Logan city, but it is 15-20 years old.

Gass said the different cities are hoping to work together on the new requirements by the EPA. "Whatever we can do as a group will be less costly and probably a better job," he said.

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