(9/9) At their September 8 meeting, the Thurmont Town Council reviewed the current status of their efforts of complying with federal mandates regarding controlling the amount and preventing the contamination of storm-water runoff, as per the federal MS4 permitting process.
Attempting to comply with MS4 requirements by any local municipality, county, or state, nationwide, that possesses a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) MS4 permit is an ongoing process. Compliance is phased and is presently in the second years of a five-year program.
Mayor John Kinnaird said, "We have made some changes. We are going to continue to make some changes. We plan on doing quite a bit over the next few years to bring us up to the requirements of the MS4 permitting process." The town is working on compliance issues with the help of Arrow Consulting.
Some of the key components of compliance discussed at the meeting included public participation and public reporting of those who may have been engaged in actions adversely impacting storm-water quality.
Regarding public participation, Kinnaird noted that the town must file an annual MS4 compliance report for 2019-2020 by October 31 with the Maryland Department of the Environment, which will be posted on the town website when completed. The public is encouraged to review the report and send any questions or comments to Chief Administrative Officer James Humerick.
Additionally, the town will be posting a storm-water survey on the municipal website on November 1. The purpose of the survey is to raise storm-water awareness, involve the public in the program, and obtain feedback. Residents and businesses are encouraged to participate. The results will be made public during a future meeting.
The commissioners will also be providing the public with quarterly reports at the town meetings on the status of all efforts to comply with MS4 mandates. The quarterly report will also be posted as attachments to the meeting minutes.
The mandates also provide an opportunity for residents and others to report those engaging in acts which may potentially contaminate storm-water runoff through "illicit discharges."
Objects or substances which could be considered "illicit discharges" include household cleaners, lawn products, trash, and organic debris (such as autumn leaves), among other contaminants. "We ask the public to not contaminate our storm-water system with items such as these," the mayor stated.
Also, he stated that as fall approaches, "Please do not dispose of loose leaves in the street as they could inadvertently clog our storm-water inlets."
A form for reporting suspect violations will be located on the municipal website or can be reported by contacting the town office.
