This chapter shall be known and may be cited
as the "Upper Gwynedd Township Stormwater Management Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to promote health,
safety and welfare within the Township and its watershed through provisions
designed to:
A.
Provide review procedures and performance standards
for stormwater planning and management.
B.
Utilize and preserve the existing natural drainage
systems as much as possible.
C.
Manage stormwater impacts close to the runoff source
in a manner which requires a minimum of structures and relies on natural
processes.
D.
Focus on infiltration of stormwater to maintain groundwater
recharge and to prevent degradation of surface water and groundwater
quality and to otherwise protect water resources.
E.
Maintain existing flows and quality of streams and
watercourses.
F.
Meet legal water quality requirements under state
law, including regulations at 25 Pa. Code § 93.4a to protect
and maintain "existing uses" and maintain the level of water quality
to support those uses in all streams and to protect and maintain water
quality in "special protection" streams.
G.
Prevent scour and erosion of stream banks and streambeds.
H.
Provide for proper operations and maintenance of all
permanent stormwater management facilities that are implemented in
the Township.
I.
Provide a mechanism to identify controls necessary
to meet NPDES permit requirements.
J.
Implement an illegal discharge detection and elimination
program to address nonstormwater discharges into the Township's separate
storm sewer system.
The Township is empowered to regulate land use
activities that affect stormwater impacts by the authority of the
Municipalities Planning Code at 53 P.S. § 10503.
[Amended 2-22-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-07]
This chapter applies to any regulated earth
disturbance activities within the Township (unless the earth disturbance
is located within the Wissahickon Creek Watershed or the Neshaminy
Creek Watershed) and all stormwater runoff entering into the Township's
separate storm sewer system from lands within the boundaries of the
Township. Each disturbance located within the Wissahickon Creek Watershed
or the Neshaminy Creek Watershed shall comply with the appropriate
Act 167 ordinance. Please note that stormwater conveyance facilities
located within the Wissahickon Creek or Neshaminy Creek Watersheds
shall still comply with this chapter.
Any other ordinance provision(s) or regulation
of the Township inconsistent with any of the provisions of this chapter
is hereby repealed to the extent of the inconsistency only.
A.
Approvals issued and actions taken under this chapter
do not relieve the applicant of the responsibility to secure required
permits or approvals for activities regulated by any other code, law,
regulation or ordinance. To the extent that this chapter imposes more
rigorous or stringent requirements for stormwater management, the
specific requirements contained in this chapter shall be followed.
B.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect
any of the Township's requirements regarding stormwater matters which
do not conflict with the provisions of this chapter, such as stormwater
management design criteria (e.g., inlet spacing, inlet type, collection
system design and details, outlet structure design, etc.).
