City reviews stormwater management program, addresses resident concerns
The Inver Grove Heights City Council held an informational meeting on April 2 to review the city's 2021 stormwater management activities. Assistant City Engineer Steve Dodge presented details on how the city protects local waterways through federal and state regulations.
The meeting focused on the city's Municipal Stormwater (MS4) Program, which operates under federal Clean Water Act requirements and requires annual permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Dodge explained that the program ensures construction and development activities don't pollute state waters. The city maintains 236 stormwater management facilities, 113 miles of storm sewer lines, and over 1,400 catch basins.
In 2021, the city issued 172 notices of violation for erosion and sediment control violations at construction sites, reflecting significant building activity. Staff conduct weekly inspections of construction sites larger than one acre and follow-up inspections after major rainstorms. The city also identified one illicit discharge and issued a notice of violation requiring cleanup. For the Northwest Area—a 3,000-acre region with natural basins—the city enforces stricter stormwater requirements (2.6 inches) compared to the rest of the city (1 inch) to protect these sensitive areas.
The city educates residents through newsletter articles reaching over 36,000 residents and partners with Dakota County on "Landscaping for Clean Water" workshops. Staff receive annual training on stormwater management, and the city inspects its own operations, including parks and salt stockpiles, to prevent pollution.
Residents asked about potential volunteer programs for lake cleanup and vegetation maintenance, as well as collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources on lake species testing. The city acknowledged funding limitations prevent establishing these programs currently but confirmed it actively enforces contractor compliance, including issuing stop-work orders for non-compliance. Future goals include developing a televising program for infrastructure management, pursuing stormwater grants, and improving the Capital Improvement Plan to identify additional funding sources.
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Votes (1)
Annual Municipal Stormwater Impacts Meeting (MS4 Program Review for 2021)
Assistant City Engineer Steve Dodge provided a detailed presentation on the city's 2021 stormwater management activities, covering the MS4 program, its regulatory basis (NPDES, Clean Water Act), and the implementation of the Six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs). Key areas included public education efforts, illicit discharge detection, construction site runoff control (noting 172 NOVs issued), post-construction management (including a stringent 2.6-inch requirement for the Northwest Area), and municipal good housekeeping. The presentation also outlined future objectives, such as developing a televising program, securing grants, improving capital planning, and enhancing operational procedures. During the Q&A, residents inquired about collaboration with DNR on lake species testing, tracking repeat violators among contractors, and establishing volunteer programs for trash cleanup or vegetation maintenance around lakes. The city responded that it lacks specific programs for DNR testing and volunteer cleanup, citing funding limits, but confirmed it actively manages contractor compliance, with measures up to stop-work orders for non-compliance.
Notable Quotes (5)
This is to make sure we are working with the citizens of immigrant heights and the public on addressing any stormwater needs of the city and what is called our municipal stormwater ms4 program that we work through permitting annually with the mpca.
The mpdes system is on the left here it's the national pollution discharge elimination system and that's just to make sure that construction activity uh within uh immigrant heights in the state is not polluting our waters of the state.
So these meetings are important because we want to interact with the uh and educate you know with our citizenry and receive comments uh from the public on interview of heights storm water program in any one of the measures that we're responsible for and also just review do an annual review of our progress and how we're doing and of course we also need to hold public engagement meetings like this in order to meet the ms4 permit requirements.
We have what's a five-year storm water volume requirement so that's more like a 2.6 inch requirement basically it's much more stringent and that's because we're trying to protect the natural basins we have in the northwest area and make sure they continue to function like they did prior to any development coming around them.
It's called a stop work order and so all that is written in our code and if it goes even further we can take them in the violation further where we can take them to court or find them so we we actually have measures where we just kind of keep stepping it up the enforcement action.
Ordinances & Resolutions (11)
The city's program for managing stormwater runoff, requiring annual permitting with the MPCA.
A national permit system ensuring construction and other activities do not pollute state waters, stemming from the Clean Water Act.
A program required to obtain an NPDES permit, part of the city's overall stormwater management.
A document required for development over an acre of disturbance area, detailing erosion and sediment control measures.
The foundational federal legislation that led to the creation of the NPDES and MS4 systems.
Six categories of activities the city must report on annually to the MPCA as part of its MS4 permit.
The city's comprehensive plan covering stormwater management requirements for development, excluding the Northwest Area.
A future five-year plan for stormwater-related infrastructure improvements and funding.
Technical specifications for bioretention facilities, to be made available on the city website.
Procedures to be further developed for enforcing stormwater regulations related to municipal operations.
Standardized operating procedures for maintenance staff regarding stormwater management.
Source document
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Other Topics from This Document
Public Education, Outreach, and Participation
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE)
Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control
Post-Construction Stormwater Management and Infrastructure
Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping (Municipal Operations)
Future Objectives and Funding for Stormwater Improvements
Citizen Questions and Feedback
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